


a light in the darkest night

by cROAissant



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Cardcaptor Sakura Fusion, Cardcaptor Sakura AU, Cardcaptor Yurio, Gen, Magical Boy, Toyuki!Victuuri, Vignettes, angry boi meets fluffy AU, bigbangonice2018, cardcaptor arc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-02-20
Packaged: 2019-03-19 01:56:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 55,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13694454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cROAissant/pseuds/cROAissant
Summary: A few summers back, his friends convinced (bribed, blackmailed) him into joining them for a magical girl binge. If there was one thing he learned from those long two weeks, it was that out of place humming and glowing meant nothing good. Unfortunately, Yuri was also fifteen and thus, a little shit. Now armed with a painfully pink staff and a magical cat by his side, Cardcaptor Yurio is in for a wild ride.[with art from yoitsrin and feelingswhimsy]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, and welcome to my contribution to Big Bang!!! On ICE. This is my first bang, and I really am proud of how well it turned out. The fic kind of got away from me, going from the standard 15k to this monster real quick.
> 
> Every character but Yurio is aged down somewhat to fit the story, although Yurio is technically aged up from Sakura’s age of 10 in CCS canon. I've tried to adapt the story so you won't need a background on Cardcaptor Sakura to understand the fic. For those of you who _are_ familiar with the story, however, you'll find that I changed things here and there. I do hope you enjoy reading :D

## 

##  **I.**

_He stood on top of Tokyo Tower - and he was sure it was that and not the Eiffel because he’d never been to France - gripping a painfully pink staff. A gust of wind whipped at his clothing, ruffling the feathers on his wrists and shoulders. Floating slightly above him was a winged cat, directing him with a concerned frown before turning its gaze forward._

_Yuri followed and saw the moon. It stood stark against the starless night sky, much larger than he’d ever seen it before. The sight should be beautiful. Instead, Yuri felt the overwhelming feeling of foreboding as it glowed before him. The cat hesitated for a moment before flying forward, wings enveloping its small body before glowing gold and disappearing from sight._

_Before Yuri could call for it to return, cards rained down on him. Several scarlet-backed, golden-lined cards cascaded around him like autumn leaves. For some unfathomable reason, he lunged to catch one, but it floated past him, just out of reach. The wind picked up then, faster and harsher than before. The force pushed him forward off the tower, toward the ground._

 

* * *

 

Yuri Plisetsky trudged downstairs for breakfast, huffing all the while. Anyone would be in a mood after being so rudely ripped away from his comfortable mattress. He swung his bag against the handrail in frustration, cursing his short-ass school break for not lasting long enough. He sauntered into the dining room with the grace of an exhausted elephant and was immediately assaulted with an obnoxious camera flash. He glowered menacingly.

Victor, completely undeterred, cooed into the screen of his digital camera, a bulky thing that should have died along with the previous decade. Why he insisted on keeping the thing alive despite owning a perfectly good smartphone was beyond him. “Aw, baby’s first day of high school. Time flies so fast!”

“Victor,” their father growled over his mug of coffee, “put that damn thing away and eat. Yuri isn’t the only one who has to be in school today.”

Victor jutted his lower lip out and whined like the child he was, “But Yakov, it’s such a special day! I’ve been in university for ages, it’s nothing compared to seeing our big boy in the Seijo high uniform.”

Yakov shot him an unimpressed look, “Put the damn camera down and stop being a moron, Vitya. Eat your food or I’m feeding it to the dog.”

Makkachin, the dog in question, looked up from her now empty food bowl to cock her head at them curiously. She padded over to her master’s feet, nosing at them gently. Victor took that as his cue for his regularly scheduled bout of drama. He fell to his knees and buried his face into the poodle’s fur. She nuzzled him consolingly.

“No one loves me, Makkachin. I’ve been betrayed by my own flesh and blood.”

“None of us are your flesh and blood, you asshat.”

“It’s the same thing!”

“Vitya! Eat. Your. Food!”

Yuri was adopted into the Feltsman-Nikiforov home about ten years ago. Yakov, their father, took them in as small children and very looked back. When his work (read as: thirsty-ass pining for his ex-wife) brought him to the small town fo Tomoeda, Japan, he and Victor (and Victor’s then puppy, Makkachin) naturally came along. Five years later, Yuri believed they’d adjusted just fine from their old home in St. Petersburg… if not for Victor - supposedly a mature, university student - being a whiny-ass bitch.

Yuri rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore the rest of the tirade. He was too hungry to deal with Victor’s stupidity any longer. Taking his designated seat on the other side of the table, Yuri waited to be served. On cue, a plate filled with toast and pancakes slid in front of him. He cast a half-lidded look at his server.

“You planning to sleep at your own place anytime soon, Katsudon?”

Yuuri Katsuki - twenty one, constantly flustered, and spent more time in their house than his own - blushed at the question. He’d become a constant at the Feltsman-Nikiforov/Plisetsky household over the past few years. It was a surprise he hadn’t just packed his whole apartment up and officially moved in. It wasn’t like half his stuff was already stowed away in Victor’s room.

“Victor thought it would be nice for us all to leave together this morning,” he responded. His eyes sparkled along with his smile, “Today’s a big day after all.”

Yuri sagged into his chair, crossing arms at the ridiculousness of it all. “You all make it sound like something important. I’m going to high school, not the Olympics.”

“It’s still amazing,” he countered, nibbling on a piece of toast, “My parents celebrated mine and my sister’s first days too. Phichit’s parents even had a party.”

He responded with another eye roll, “Like anything life-changing is gonna happen just ‘cause I’m in high school.”

Yuri was right, of course - nothing particularly interesting happened that day at school sans learning he couldn't actually eat his lunches on the school roof. His life wouldn’t change until a few hours after he returned home that day.

 

* * *

 

A few summers back, his friends convinced (bribed, blackmailed) him into joining them for a magical girl binge. If there was one thing he learned from those long two weeks, it was that out of place humming and glowing meant nothing good.

Unfortunately, Yuri was also fifteen and thus, a little shit.

It started like this: Victor, the asshole, traded chore duty with him to take his dog and go on a date with his stupid boyfriend. (“He’s not my boyfriend, Yurio! Yuuri’s just a friend. My gorgeous, perfect friend. I’m hoping this date will make me his though!”) So rather than spend his afternoon in his room, blaring music that would shake their house to its foundation, he had to tidy up the study and make dinner.

Why they even had a study was beyond him. Yakov coached figure skaters and partially managed his own rink; Victor was in university. Aside from cleaning, none of them ever went down there. All their reference materials were in their respective rooms or on the Internet. The basement and everything in it was left over by the previous homeowners. The walls and several tall shelves were lined with books in an array of subjects and languages, some looking way too old to be credible sources of information. While they never bothered to empty the room and make it something useful, it stayed on the to-dust list for some unfathomable reason. It would be easy to just avoid the chore all together, but Yakov always knew when they skipped out on anything on his list.

And as much as he could tolerate the old man screaming at him all night, he had a new gaming system to break in.

Honestly, he should have just turned away when the ominous ringing started. But did he? Nope. Like that one idiot in every horror movie, he walked toward it, armed with a feather duster.

He should have turned away when he saw the glowing book on the farthest shelf from the entrance. That wasn’t normal, and he was sure he watched something about a magical book that sucked its poor victim in and subjecting them to dramatic, death-filled adventures. Instead, he pulled it out and flipped it open.

The cover read _The Clow_ , displaying a picture of a winged feline beast chained to a large sun.

This should have been the point where Yuri shrugged at its contents, put the obviously magical book back in its place, and resumed his cleaning. Of course, he did none of that. After marvelling at the illustrations and latin writing, Yuri noticed that the book contained a deck of cards. Strange red ones with gold and black designs, just waiting to be flipped over by some poor, unsuspecting little shit.

Yuri did just that, picking up the topmost card and flipping it over to reveal a monochrome illustration of a woman in a feathery dress, eyes closed and arms crossed across her chest.

“The Windy?” he read, incredulous. And that sealed his fate.

A strong gust of wind swept through the study, nearly knocking him over. With his squinted eyes, he could see the ground glowing at his feet and tiny, glowing rectangles zooming out of the book.

“Oh shiiiiiiiiit,” he whispered, sensing his free time drain away as the book in the crook of his arm emptied of its contents.

 

 

##  **II.**

Another lesson he learned from the magical girl marathon of death was that magical winged beings meant trouble. Especially if they could talk. Unfortunately, the magical winged being happened to resemble a cat, and Yuri was weak for felines.

In a perfect world, Yuri could have just put _The Windy_ card back in the book, put the book back on the shelf, and return to his normal life. But life sucked, so a magical golden blob floated out of _The Clow_ instead, looking every bit like the color-point ragdoll of his dreams… with fluffy wings and the ability to talk.

It introduced itself as Agape, the Guardian Beast of the Clow and rebuked him for ten minutes straight for letting the cards fly off to who-knows-where. It was a stupid name, and Yuri decided that Puma Tiger Scorpion was a much better name to call… whatever the hell the magical cat was.

“No, you dolt! I’m Agape, the Guardian Beast of the Clow,” he - and Yuri was not sure it was a he now - yelled through a bite of cheesecake (his third slice in half an hour), “You don’t just call a magnificent beast like myself whatever you please!”

“You’re in my house, eating my food,” he bellowed back, “I can call you whatever the fuck I want!”

“You unreasonable child! It’s bad enough that you scattered my master’s life’s work across the globe. You have to insult me too?”

“Shut up! I’m not having this argument with a cat!’

“I’m not a cat, I’m the Guardian Beast of the Clow!”

“What the hell does that even mean?”

Apparently, it meant some old sorcerer - born from the best of Eastern and Western magic - poured decades of research and spellcasting to create a bunch of cards with unimaginable powers. Since each one could cause some cataclysmic event to befall the world, Puma Tiger Scorpion (“It’s Agape, you brat!”) was created to keep them safe.

Clearly, he did a shit job of it.

“Excuse me?” the cat balked, “I was doing just fine before you did… whatever it was you did that made them scatter!”

So he picked up a glowing book out of sheer curiosity, picked up a random card, and read it out loud. How was he supposed to know that it would lead to a deck’s worth of potential apocalypses? This was not his fault.

“It’s your fault, now you have to get them all back.”

What the fuck?

“No, no, no!” Yuri cried, waving his arms frantically in rejection. “You’re the guardian… thing. You get them back on your own.”

“Guardian Beast of the Clow,” he spat, fur standing on end and crouching in a position ready to pounce. It was all fairly cute, really. “I can’t do it in this form, brat!”

His aggressive stance melted immediately into a puddle of despair. “Until both the Firey and Earthy cards are back in the book, I’m powerless. I need to get them back for my master, and you’re my only hope.”

He sighed deeply, knowing he would regret this but had no choice. No one could say no to an adorably heartbroken face like that. Fuck his not-as-hard-as-he-thought heart.

“Fine, I’ll do it. But I’m not happy about it,” he added hastily, seeing Puma Tiger Scorpion’s ecstatic face.

“Alright~!” the cat whooped, flying in concentric loops. “Stand up, Yuri Plisetsky. It’s time to make you the Cardcaptor!”

He regretted this already.

 

* * *

 

 

“Before me stands a worthy candidate to wield your power. Oh, key that conceals the power of darkness, reveal your true nature to us now.” A second glowing ball floated out of the book, this one much smaller, and Yuri’s trepidation increased tenfold.

This was happening, he was actually making a contract with a magical cat to catch a bunch of terrifying cards. He watched as the ball formed a small, bronze key, it’s head morphing into a winged bird’s head. Puma Tiger Scorpion gave it a swift command to “ _Release!_ ” and the key grew, its blade elongated into a rod.

“Grab it, Yuri!” the cat yelled, and he found himself stamping forward to follow.

He squinted against the growing light and extended an arm carefully. When his fingers met cool metal, the ground grew warm under his feet. He gasped as a circle of light appeared beneath him, forming words and symbols. He took note of the sun, moon, and hodgepodge of what appeared to be Japanese and Latin runes. When his hand encircled the rod completely, the circle, the light, and all his chances of a normal life disappeared in an instant.

Yuri stared at the object in his grasp. Puma Tiger Scorpion proudly informed him that it was the Key of the Clow, the Sealing Wand.

“It’s _pink_ ,” he spat, holding the stupid thing as far away from him as he could.

“Clow thought it was pretty,” the flying furball said, like it explained anything.

Screw pretty, if Yuri was going with this shit, he wasn’t doing it with this obnoxious mess. About a meter long, topped with a stylized winged bird head, red jewels for its eyes and beak, and white wings. Yeah, no thanks.

“I want a new one.”

The cat balked, “You can’t get a new one; it’s the only one!”

“Then make it look cooler!”

Puma Tiger Scorpion opened his mouth, but jumped before anything could come out of his mouth. He turned a serious look out his window, and Yuri followed his gaze. He cursed.

A white bird, so huge it towered over the homes, loomed in the distance. Gusts of wind followed its movements, and from the tapping of branches against the glass, he could tell they were strong.

“That’s?”

“A Clow Card, The Fly.” Yuri echoed him incredulously, “Clow named them, not me.”

“So you’re telling me,” he began, panicking, “that I have to catch that,” he waved the wand in the air, “with this?!”

“And Windy, of course,” Puma Tiger Scorpion said.

On cue, the card that was left behind glowed gently in the book before fluttering up to his face. He looked between it and the magic cat warily.

“Now’s not the time for second thoughts, Yuri! If Fly isn’t sealed soon, it’ll wreak havoc on the whole city.”

He groaned, “At least let me call this thing a staff.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Do you have everything you need?” the cat asked, hovering above him worriedly. “Windy is in your pocket? The staff is secure?”

“Yes and _yes_ , no, will you let me concentrate? If I fall and die, it’s your fault!” Yuri griped, carefully sliding down the convenient tree by his bedroom window. It was much harder with one hand occupied by a magic rod.

“You remember, those words I said back when the staff appeared, yes?” he asked, completely ignoring his quip.

At Puma Tiger Scorpion’s insistence, he would have to catch the bird while still clad in his rattiest home clothing and socks. Why he hadn’t been allowed to leave through the front door like a normal person was beyond him; it wasn’t like his family downstairs would find anything strange about it. He went on post-dinner junk food runs all the time.

“You mean the ‘ _Oh, key that hides the power of darkness_ ’ crap? I guess.”

“Have a little respect for my master’s work, will you?” the cat deadpanned. “Anyway, you have to remember them in order to command the staff to transform from the key.”

“Yuri halted, “Are you saying I could’ve scaled the tree without this thing messing with me?”

The flying feline paused, “Yes.”

“I really don’t like you.”

“The feeling is mutual, but we don’t have time to waste. Did you see which direction the card was heading towards?”

He nodded, “By the incline to school. I’d walk, but I’m in socks.”

“Will you please just let it go? We couldn’t afford anyone to see me, going about in your socks isn’t that big a deal!”

He snorted, “Says the one that can fly. Why can’t anyone see you anyway? It’s not like you look different from a normal cat.”

The cat balked, insulted, “It’s the principle of things! You don’t just go about exposing magic to normal people. I’m sure the rule still applies to present day as much as it did when Clow was alive.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” he waved,” I’m taking my bike. It’ll make things easier.”

The bike had been helpful for a while, but quickly became useless the closer they drew to the monstrous bird. Tall as a skyscraper and wings spanning several feet more, a single flap knocked branches off trees and cracked roads. Yuri was forced to abandon his ride when a particularly strong gust knocked him to the ground. Puma Tiger Scorpion hovered about him in concern.

“I’m fine,” he hissed, pushing the furry face away, “just tell me how to catch this thing before it does any more damage.”

The cat looked on at the rampaging card thoughtfully for a moment before turning back to him. “It’s fortunate you have Windy at your disposal; this would be much harder otherwise. Now, listen carefully. Tap the card with the head of your staff and command Windy to bind Fly in chains. When the card is weakened, you have to seal it quickly by commanding it to return to its true form. Strike Fly with your staff and it should follow you.”

“And all these are _magic_ words?” he asked, skeptical.

“Just do it.”

 

##  **III.**

The Plisetsky/Nikiforov-Feltsman home was a dog haven. His stupid brother had the (completely unfair) advantage of being taken in first, so he decided what species of fluff ball tore up their newspapers and woke them at unholy hours of the night. Naturally, the dumbass with horrible taste just had to choose a dog. His little princess Makkachin.

Makkachin wasn’t so bad for a poodle. She was sixty pounds of sweetness and curly brown fur - perfect for cuddling and cooing at. (Not that Yuri cuddled with her at all. Or cooed at her. Shut up!) Like every other mutt, she loved walks, belly rubs, and barging into people’s poorly locked rooms and exposing their secrets.

While this was funny when she busted Victor’s attempt to buy himself a pink cadillac, it was the exact opposite when he found her chomps clamped around the scruff of Puma Tiger Scorpion’s (“It’s Agape!”) neck as he climbed back inside his house through his bedroom window. It had been a mistake on his part to allow the cat to fly in before he could climb up. The idiot didn’t know about the mischievous family dog.

He _just_ snuck back into his room from a truly terrifying ordeal involving a giant ass bird and an impractical pink staff (now shrunk into a small key in his pocket). He didn’t need this in his life. Of course, Yuri couldn’t have nice things, and when Makkachin wanted attention, Makkachin got attention.

Before he could even attempt to tell her off, the poodle leapt and ran away at lightning speed. He at least had the presence of mind to drop both his staff and the cards on his desk and before chasing after Victor’s stupid mutt. He was just within reach when he caught sight of black hair and tripped on his own two feet.

Fuck everything.

“Are you alright, Yurio? That was some fall- oh! What do you have there, Makka?” Katsudon cooed, crouching in front of the panting dog. Trust the personification of Victor’s thirst to forget him in favor of puppy dog eyes. When the man extended his arms out, the poodle released Puma Tiger Scorpion from her grasp and made Yuri’s life all the more difficult.

Unsurprisingly, Yuuri cocked his head at the magical flying cat who appeared to have lost his fluffy wings on the journey downstairs. Thank goodness for that, at least. The brunet cooed again and stroked the cat behind the ears and below his chin.

“And who’s this little guy?” Yuri felt the heat rise to his face when he realized the question was directed at him. Fuck, how does this work?

The third thing he got from all those magical girl anime was that one does not simply expose themselves as a magical girl, er, boy. Er, man. Fuck it, he had a staff and magic cards.

If Puma Tiger Scorpion’s warnings were to be believed, the less people knew about this, the better. Some of the more dangerous cards may set them as targets. And while he didn’t exactly get how knowledge of magic automatically equated itself to danger proximity, he wasn’t taking the risk. He had to come up with some kind of cover and fast.

Thankfully, Victor’s thirsty ass saved him the trouble. His “Yuuri is paying attention to something that isn’t me” sensors alerted him of a disturbance in the force. His adopted brother glided into the hallway and launched himself bodily against the brunet. The impact nearly knocked them to the ground, but Katsudon stayed strong and prevented them from becoming a pile of limbs and fur. He didn’t know the magical beast long, but he was sure he wouldn’t have appreciated that.

He nuzzled his cheek against the top of Katsudon’s head before noticing the monochrome blob of fur that hadn’t been there this morning.

“Aw, a kitty! And such a pretty one too,” His face broke into his signature heart-shaped smile as he crooned. “Look, Yuuri! It likes you.”

The cat did like him, if his blissfully closed eyes and the low rumbling from his throat were any indication. Sure, why not? It’s not like it was enough that Katsudon was smart and athletic, he had to be a fucking Disney Princess too.

He was definitely not gazing at him in awe in a manner similar to his lovesick brother. Nope, no way. He was just… marvelling at how well Puma Tiger Scorpion could pretend to be a regular house cat.

The moment didn’t last very long, however,  because soon a mischievous grin was directed at Yuri. “Did you find a stray, Yurio?” Victor drawled, voice teasing.

More than anything, it was the babying tone that set him off. “What? No! Fuck that! I have no idea where it came from!”

“Then how did Makkachin get him? She’s been inside since we got home.”

He didn’t have a response for that one. Fuck his tired brain, he was snarkier than this!

Victor cheered at his fuming silence. “That’s adorable, Yurio~”

“Shut the fuck up!”

“You two shouldn’t be yelling…”

“What’s going on here?”

The sound of Yakov’s gruff voice made them all jump slightly. How could they forget that he was right there in the dining room his whole time? He stepped into view, perpetual scowl marring his wrinkled face, and scanned the hall.

This would be a good time for a distraction. Maybe another Clow Card?

Yakov must have had a harder day than normal. It was the off-season for figure skaters, so he supposed they would be more difficult to work with at the moment. Maybe it was just a long day because rather than yell at Yuri for smuggling a cat home or at Victor for being a condescending ass, all he did was sigh and ask, “What’s its name?”

“Puma Tiger Scorpion,” he said, not missing a beat. He supposed this was a fairly good cover, adopting a stray cat. It was easier than pretending he was some form of advanced stuffed animal.

Victor gasped, “That’s a horrible name to give such a cute cat!”

“He’s my cat and I get to name him anything I want,” he argued. Smirking at the cat seething in Katsudon’s arms.

Sensing a brewing sibling argument, Katsudon stepped in between the brothers. God forbid they destroy the furniture again. Yakov made them sleep on the floor for it the last time. Took his phone away too. “How about a compromise?” he suggested. “Didn’t you say that you have… diminutives, was it?”

The brothers held each other’s gaze for a long minute. In that time, Yakov escaped to his room, Makkachin padded off to some other corner of the house, and Katsudon continued his gentle petting of Yuri’s new “pet”.

“So… Pyocha?”

“That’s works. It’s a nickname though. I’m not budging from Puma Tiger Scorpion.”

“Pyocha it is!”

 

##  **IV.**

Pyocha initially warned him about sharing his newfound magic with others, a flustered, hushed warning before Victor and Katsudon fed him bits of dinner the previous evening. Yuri recalled it being one of Guang Hong’s fundamental principles of magical girl anime as well, secrecy. For reasons no one bothered to explain, it was a huge no-no to tell anyone else. He was fine with that; it wasn’t like there was anyone he could pass off this chore to. He checked. Unfortunately, the decision to tell someone about his magic didn’t rest on him.

“Yurio, I’ve got something to show you~” the unfailingly cheerful voice sang as he stored his sneakers into his locker. Leaning before him with a phone clasped in his selfie hand, was third year Phichit Chulanont.

The older student was the textbook definition of popular. Bright, friendly, and controlled the complicated campus gossip network with an iron fist. His influence went from junior high to what everyone suspected to be the city’s big businesses. It didn’t help that he was the heir to Tomoeda’s tech conglomerate. About a year ago, he made friends with Yuuri Katsuki and made it his duty to make the university student’s life as interesting and easy as possible.

Apparently that included monitoring his not-(yet)-boyfriend’s younger brother.

“I’ve got cleaning duty, Chulanont,” he growled. He didn't, but it was worth a shot.

He tsked, stepping forward and wagging a sassy finger in his face. “Oh, sweet baby Yurio.” He was going to stab Victor for making that nickname spread. “You know I know everything, don’t you? I’m very aware that your next scheduled cleaning day is next week. You’re only here early because set your alarm wrong.”

_How did he..?_

“I know everything, Yurio,” he smirked, half-lidded eyes menacing. His expression morphed into one of delight a second later and yanked him into the empty photography studio. Why their school had a photography studio was beyond him. Didn’t all the clubs have equal funding?

Chulanont shoved him into a chair and pulled up an album labelled “mini yuri blackmail”. He would’ve been much more concerned by it if not for the short clip that began playing in front of him.

“So last night, I was having a very heated discussion with Alpha Yuuri-” Katsudon was not the alpha. He was. Fuck him. “and I saw something amazing out the window.”

It began with a shot of Chulanont’s gleeful smile, off-centered and shaking slightly as if he flipped his phone rather than switch cameras.

“Booooooooiiiiii, you got some ‘splainin to do~” he cried, turning his phone away to point out a large window. Two quick zooms revealed a oddly-shaped figure in the sky. More specifically, one that looked like Yuri riding his stupid pink bird staff with Pyocha flying overhead. Oh god, he knew testing the Fly card out was a bad a idea!

“ _Fuck!_ ” he jumped out of his seat, knocking it over with a bang. Pyocha, who he was sure was told to stay at home, shot out of his backpack on high alert. “What! Is it a Clow Card? What’s going on?”

The cat followed his gaze and froze as he saw Chulanont’s not-as-shocked-as-it-should-be face. The smirk of evil returned, and the third year repeated the words in the video. “Boy, you got some ‘splainin to do.”

 

* * *

 

 

“This is the best thing to ever happen to me,” the older student cried when Pyocha filled him in on the details of Yuri’s ordeal. The card that could erase people’s memories seemed to still be asleep somewhere, so there was no choice but to tell Chulanont the truth. He seemed to be taking this whole thing fairly well. “I’ve always wanted to be the secret keeper!”

“The secret keeper?” Pyocha echoed.

“The friend in the know,” he chirped, jumping into a power pose and pointing fiercely at the blond. “I, Phichit Chulanont, declare myself your secret keeper. It’ll be my duty to provide you with alibis and record your progress. Now, show me your transformation sequence.”

“I don’t have one,” he deadpanned. Thank fuck for small mercies. It was bad enough he got a bright pink staff with a bird head that grew puffy wings when he used The Fly. Even in its charm form as a key, the bird head as a little much. It was lucky the chain he found in Victor’s jewelry box was long enough to hide it under his clothing.

Chulanont perked, his smile brightening tenfold. “I’ve got your measurements. Expect a costume on your next mission.”

“A what now?”

 

* * *

 

 

Sure enough, his next mission started immediately after Chulanont made his solemn declaration. The students on cleaning duty slid their classroom doors open to find every desk upended and stacked in large piles. Pyocha immediately blamed it on a Card, because this would be far too big and meaningless of a job for a person, and they planned to sneak back in that night.

Chulanont delivered on his promise by giving him an excuse to be at school so late (he was a member of the photography club now as Chulanont’s assistant). Then he stuffed him into a trailer with a clothing bag and wouldn’t let him out until he put everything in it on. Pyocha got a reasonable little collar with a large ribbon, and he got...

“A skirt. You put me in a fucking skirt.”

“It’s a skort! It’s like having a butt cape, but for the front!”

“You’re not selling this. In any way.”

“Oh come on, this isn’t the worst thing you’ve worn,” he argued, making a few adjustments on his video camera. Apparently, his phone wasn’t going to be enough for something like this. Yuri was a little scared. “I remember those cheetah-print shorts.”

“Those were cool!”

“Whatever you say,” he dismissed. “Go get... was it Shadow, Pyocha?”

“Technically, it’s _The_ Shadow,” the fluff ball interjected.

“The Shadow, then,” Chulanont nodded, “Go get The Shadow, Cardcaptor Yurio!”

“Fuck you!”

 

##  **V.**

A week later and another card caught found Yuri riding home in one of the Chulanont family’s fancy cars. Much to his delight, this one had a snack bar.

“It was really smart of you to think of trapping Watery in the freezer,” Chulanont mused. After a stressful night running through an aquarium in skin-tight, water-resistant clothing, he was glad his secret keeper had a driver. “It wasn’t easy, but we pulled it off.”

“Got the idea from Katsudon actually,” he muttered, leaning further into the plush seat. “And thank god the old man just happened to tell me where they kept the penguin food.”

“Sounds like you have Victor to thank more than Yuuri, to be honest.” he drawled, amusement evident in his widening Cheshire smile. “But that doesn’t matter since our favorite danseur’s date with you overshadowed that.”

“It wasn’t a date!”

 

* * *

 

 

It wasn’t a date. It was a thank you from Katsudon for making him and Victor a late night snack. It wasn’t a fucking date.

“The aquarium cafe has amazing food,” Katsudon had said, voice muffled by his scarf. “They have the best parfaits on earth.”

His eyes were sparkling. Yuri wanted to die. He’d been wanting to die since this aggressively beautiful being moved to Tomoeda. He had Victor to blame for it all, he and whoever put people in the same classes together at their university. With Victor being a year older, they shouldn’t have even crosser paths in the first place, but the overachieving old man had to go and get two degrees.

He met Katsudon three years ago, after getting a scholarship to his brother’s university. Since his family’s finances were so tight, what with running the only surviving hot spring inn in a dying tourist town, Katsudon decided to seize the opportunity and move to Tomoeda by himself. The school was providing him with a small allowance along with his tuition and living quarters, which he supplemented with various part-time jobs. According to his brother, Katsudon sent nearly everything he earned to his parents. But they would always return the money to him. It was a cycle of kindness, and it sort of made Yuri’s heart twinge.

And it made Victor’s heart twinge exponentially, because all the reservations he had about getting a part-time job and being a responsible adult flew out the window the moment Katsudon mentioned looking for a place to work in. Most of his brother’s income went into showering his not-boyfriend with expensive gifts. He loathed the day they become an official couple. Victor was ridiculous enough as it was.

“Yeah sure,” he mumbled, feeling lukewarm about their destination. He’d been to the aquarium before, just that week in fact. He didn’t understand why so many of his classes needed field trips, especially ones to places they normally took elementary students to. They were supposed to learn something about… biology from this? Sure, okay. Why not?

Yuri had to hand it to them though, he actually did learn something from that trip. A Clow Card made itself at home in the penguin tank. The Watery, to be precise.

Yeah, this wasn’t a date. It was just a stakeout, a way to gather more information.

They took a little longer than they would have because Katsudon slowed his pace to gaze in awe at the fish swimming around them. God, it should be illegal to make a face that happy. His mood was lightening just from the sight of it.

His sort-of great mood was stamped into the dirt, however, when a far too cheerful voice cried out their names as they emerged from the plexiglass tunnel.

“I thought you were feeding the penguins,” he growled, glaring at Victor decked in an impeccable waiter uniform and brandishing two laminated menus.

“They were short-handed at the cafe today,” heart-shaped smile blinding. “So I volunteered.”

He would bet all the money he’d saved over the year that something - he was looking at Chulanont - let Victor know he and Yuuri were going out. Either that or his Yuuri senses tingled again. Perhaps it was both. Either way, his not-date was ruined, but he might as well get some free food out of all this.

He followed Katsudon’s lead and ordered the honey toast, chocolate chip cheesecake parfait, and iced tea. If they made him wiggle in excitement like that, Yuri deduced they must be good. Their ordering took longer than it should because his idiot of a brother tried to coax them into getting more food, even going as far as to offer to pay for the additions himself.

“But Yuuri, you hardly get to eat anything but instant noodles and melon bread,” he whined. “You need variety! It helps you stay healthy.”

Katsudon chuckled. “That’s just what I had for lunch yesterday, Victor. And anyway, desserts hardly count as healthy.,” he admonished. “You know how easily I gain weight.”

“But I love your curves,” voice dripping in disappointment. “You dance wonderfully regardless of how you weigh.”

“Madame Baranovskaya will have my head if I can’t fit in my costume,” he countered. The shudder that ran through Victor’s body was enough indication that he’d lost the battle. Yet, he perked and swiped the menus from their hands and turned away. “Then I’ll just make sure you both get a little extra with your meal. It’s the least I can do!”

They never got their food, however, as the stupid card chose that moment to mess with the cylindrical tank in the very center of the cafe. It cracked the glass and broke a large hole on one side, a heavy current of water falling onto them.

Now, Yuri was an okay swimmer. Something like this wasn’t too hard to manage; all he had to do was make large stokes toward the ceiling. One problem though: it seemed his foot was caught in a tiny whirlpool that kept him stuck to the floor.

Fuck, was he actually going to die?

Pyocha mentioned that some of these cards weren’t going to be as amiable as say, The Windy or The Shadow, but this? This one was actually trying to kill him, like what it tried to do with those penguins and their handler at the start of the week.

Oh god, he wasn’t ready for this. He didn’t want this.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Victor frantically kicking toward him. That look on his face, one of utter panic and desperation, he’d never seen it before. But before he could reach him, he felt a strong pull. Not from The Watery clinging to his leg, but from the water suddenly rushing past and ebbing away.

After gasping for much needed air, he turned in the direction that the water flowed to. There stood Katsudon, standing by the broken emergency exit  door clasping an axe and looking relieved.

 

* * *

 

 

Now this was just getting ridiculous. While medical personnel looked Yuri and the other cafe patrons over, Victor was busy fawning over Katsudon and his heroics. His older brother did panic over him for a while and he was also eternally grateful for Katsudon’s quick thinking, but there was only so much of this disgusting display that one person could take.

Victor seemed to completely forget about the brother he just rescued from drowning in favor of nuzzling Katsudon in adoration. "You're so amazing, Yuuri. Anyone else would have frozen under pressure~"

Ugh, fuck him.

Wait. Frozen.

"Holy fuck, we can freeze it!"

 

##  **VI.**

Ten years ago, he lived with his beloved grandfather Nikolai Plisetsky in a small apartment in Moscow, Russia. They didn’t have much, but theirs was a happy home. Yuri didn’t have many clear memories of the man anymore, but he could never forget how warm he always felt in the older man’s presence. Grandpa was his world, the first person - maybe the only person - to love him with all his heart.

Yuri never met his father. The man came and went like loose bowel movement one summer, leaving a barely twenty year-old Katerina Plisetskaya with a squawking mouth to feed. At the time, the Russian (ex-)idol was just on the cusp of her career and refused to let a squirming lump of mixed DNA to ruin, er… change her life forever. The second he was weaned, she packed her bags and left him in her father’s far more capable hands.

Needless to say, Yuri only took photos of one of these three people with him to Japan.

They didn’t live in abject poverty, but his mother hadn’t exactly provided grandpa with fostering subsidy. It didn’t help that the man refused to give his grandson anything but the best life had to offer. Every childish whim was given at the snap of his tiny fingers. Grandpa lived to spoil his little Yurochka. Even when his health was deteriorating, he made sure that his boy would be loved and cared for. Especially when he finally passed on.

Which was why the sight before him left him dumbfounded.

Guang Hong said he saw a ghost haunting this cliff. They all confirmed it earlier that afternoon, Leo, Minami, Phichit and himself, running away at breakneck speeds when the apparition did appear. But when none of the descriptions of what they saw at that moment matched, Yuri suspected something of the Clow Card variety was behind the whole mess.

He expected a quick roughing up followed by another successful card capture.

He didn’t expect to see his grandfather standing near the edge when they returned that night.

Nikolai Plisetsky looked every bit like the decade-old photo he kept by his bed. Dressed in his favorite coat and beret, he stood slightly hunched over. Yuri remembered with a pang that he’d always had a bad back. His narrowed eyes were as kind as ever; his perpetual smirk framed by a greying beard and moustache. Yuri could still recall how much it tickled whenever he nuzzled against the older man’s cheeks. It’d been so long since he last had the chance to do so.

“Grandpa!” he cried, dropping his staff against his better judgement. He advanced when the figure floated backward, widening their distance. “Grandpa, wait!”

He thought he could hear both Chulanont and Pyocha calling his name, screaming at him to come back, but he ignored them. They weren’t important right now. Not when Grandpa was right there in front of him. Just a little more, and he could touch him again. Hug him again. Tell him how much he missed him.

“Grandpa!” he called, desperation making his voice hitch.

Just a few more steps and-

“Yuri!”

Just as he got within arm’s reach of his grandfather, his body dipped forward. Turning his head around in panic, he saw the mangled foundation of steel railings.

And he fell.

_Grandpa, why?_

 

##  **VII.**

Yuri could have sworn he felt a familiar warmth close around his hand just before he lost consciousness. But the thought left him quickly as he bolted awake to an unfamiliar bedroom wearing clothes that were a little too big on him. Before he could entertain the idea of being kidnapped, the door opened and Katsudon stepped inside.

“You’re in my apartment,” he explained, handing him a cup of tea with a warm smile. This was quickly replaced by a small grimace. “Do you remember what happened?”

_I saw my Grandpa’s ghost. He lead me off a cliff. I probably would have died if you hadn’t saved me, which I assume you did since I’m alive and you’re here._ He didn’t voice any of this out, of course. Rather, he focused his gaze on the steaming cup and frowned.

“We should be glad that my parents aren’t around,” Katsudon mused at an attempt to lighten the heavy atmosphere. “Mom would’ve barged right in here with my favorite katsudon and wouldn’t let you leave ‘til you finished every crumb. I mean, not that it would be bad. Dad makes the best katsudon and…” He rambled on for a few more minutes, talking about his family back in Hasetsu.

He was trying his best, but it didn’t make Yuri feel better. Instead, he redirected his attention elsewhere. “What about Chulanont and Pyocha?”

A pang of shame went through him at the realization that he left them hiding in the bushes. Another pang followed when he remembered that they also saw him desperately chasing his grandpa off a cliff.

Kastudon pinked slightly, likely sheepish at having talked about himself for so long. “Ah, Phichit told me you were helping him with his video project when things got out of hand. He took your cat home with him in the meantime. He said he’d come visit as soon as he was able and called Victor to apologize.”

“Victor?” he balked. Oh great, he wouldn’t hear the end of this now. Especially if the old man told Yakov. He could feel his ears ringing already.

“Don’t worry,” the brunet chuckled, knowing just where Yuri’s mind has taken him. “Neither of them will be angry with you.” Taking the empty cup - he hadn’t realized he’d finished - from his grasp, the older man gently pushed him back down to lie back on the bed. “You should get some more rest. You must have gone through a lot today.”

Exhaustion hit him like a freight train, and suddenly his eyes were too heavy to keep open. Katsudon was right, he should sleep a little more.

“Hey, Yuuri…” he mumbled.

“Hm?”

“I saw my grandpa there… at the edge of the cliff,” he confessed, tongue loose from exhaustion. “I wonder if it was his ghost.” He yawned, the last dregs of consciousness leaving him quickly. “Why was he there? Why did he..?”

Warm fingers ruffled his hair ever so gently. It was a good feeling.

“I think,” Katsudon began, voice as soft as his touch, “that if it really was your grandpa, he wouldn’t have put you in danger.”

 

##  **VIII.**

It took meeting the spirit again for Yuri to realize that Katsudon was right. The man in his memories would never have wanted him to fall to his death. The man who held him when he cried. The man who took him to every figure skating lesson. The man who pleaded for Yakov to take him in when he realized he could no longer care for his grandson.

He stopped, a single step from the edge. But this time, with hands secure around his staff, Yuri would fall a second time. “You’re not my grandpa,” he growled, slow and resolute.

The apparition immediately flickered in response, switching from the image of his grandfather to a peculiar mosaic pattern. One that Pyocha identified immediately.

“Yuri, that’s a Clow Card!” he yelled, voice carrying from his spot. Like the last time, both he and Chulanont were held behind by some invisible barrier. Thankfully, Yuri was in a better headspace than before and heard the cat’s call loud and clear.

He summoned Windy (and wasn’t it convenient that he always seemed to draw the right card on the first try) to bind it before raising his staff to seal it once more. Two cards flew into his hands afterward, his ever-reliable Windy and The Illusion.

Pyocha explained it to them later when they returned to his room with a tray of snacks, courtesy of Yakov. The Illusion was fairly self-explanatory. It created images of things people wanted to see. It explained why their group didn’t see the same “ghosts” the first time around. The others expected a ghost and saw their own versions of a terrifying apparition. Guang Hong saw a headless man. Leo saw a generic white sheet figure. Minami saw a fox. He had been thinking on his grandpa’s birthday and saw… well, his grandpa.

“Now that I think about it,” Chulanont mused through his biscuit. “I was hungry then. I guess it explains why I saw my mom’s Gaeng Daeng.”

“Then why’d we all see grandpa this time?” he asked, downing a well-deserved fifth cookie.

“We didn’t the first time though. Just a silhouette of a man,” Chulanont countered. “When Pyocha was knocked off, I ran after him and by then you’d already fallen. This was the only time we actually saw him.”

“‘It’s what we expected to see,” the cat responded. “When Yuri said he saw his grandpa up there, we believed him and saw what he did.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Oh! That’s a picture of your grandfather isn’t it?,” Victor asked as he positioned the frame on the family shrine.

Rolling his eyes as he passed, Yuri responded. “Yeah, I figured your parents weren’t the only ones who should have a spot there.” He grabbed the neatly-wrapped bento from his brother’s hands before adding. “Anyway, it’s his birthday. Can’t have him spending it up there where your mutt or Pyocha could knock it over.”

Ignoring Victor’s squawk of indignation, he glanced one last time at his grandpa’s smiling face. “I’m off!”

 

* * *

 

 

Nikolai Plisetsky died very much at peace, knowing his Yurochka would be loved and cared for in his absence. Nonetheless, he made to sure to look out for his growing (and very grouchy) boy from time to time. It seemed little Yuri got himself into a bit of an interesting situation recently, but he was glad he was making friends at the very least.

Waving his grandson goodbye with a smile, he turned to Yakov’s little nephew. “I was a little worried about him for a while, but he seems to have pulled through.”

Victor laughed softly like he always did whenever he popped by to visit. “Yurio’s an amazing kid, Nikolai. He’ll be just fine.”

 

##  **IX.**

Despite all his informed skill, Pyocha didn’t seem like much of a great Guardian Beast of the Clow. For one, the stupid cat forgot to tell him the most crucial part of resealing the cards.

It began like any other Sunday - Yakov on an old person date with his ex-wife/on-again-off-again girlfriend Lilia Baranovskaya, Victor and Makkachin out on a rare invitation to Katsudon and Chulanont’s day of friendship, and Yuri becoming a Pokemon Master. At least, that would’ve been the case if he weren’t stuck with all the chores for the day.

He didn’t even have anyone to blame this time; this was all his doing. Not Guang Hong for asking them to volunteer at the pet store for adoption week. Not Minami and his new theater system. Not even Chulanont and the photography club. Thanks to past Yuri and his commitments, present Yuri had to sweep the floors, clean the bathrooms, do laundry, and of course, tidy the study.

Fortunately, Pyocha had no choice but to help him get shit done since it was partially his fault his life was so hectic. So while the Guardian Beast of the Clow loaded another batch of clothing into the washing machine, he went down to the basement.

If he had to be completely honest, he was wary about going back down there. Last time he did, he unleashed a shit ton  of potential disasters, and their disgruntled guardian, into the world. Though, it was probably safe to say it was unlikely that he would release another set of potential apocalypses on the world again. He was still paying for the first time, after all.

The forces of nature seemed to have mercy on him though, and rather than land himself another “Savior of the World” role, he found a card down there instead. A dormant card just resting there under the rug. He must have missed it in the spur of the moment; having a magic cat fly out of a mystical book was a lot to take in.

He set _The Wood_ on the small desk in the corner where the other cards rested. He usually kept them in his pocket, but they fell out one too many times in his cleaning and Yuri was sick of bending down to pick them all up.

Just as he finished sweeping the floors, his phone trilled shrilly with Victor’s assigned ringtone. Against his better judgement, he picked up immediately.

“Yurio!” he cried, his voice carrying a hint of desperation, “Quick, bring me my shirt. The striped one with quarter sleeves. Yuuri spilled coffee on his shirt. Hurry before Phichit gets him one! We’re at Sayo-Kubo! Ah, Makkachin! No, no licking!”

From his side of the line, Yuri heard a sharp bang followed by excited barking and laughter. He sighed, he could hang up right now and forget this ever happened. But when he last attempted to do so, his phone flooded with calls and sad memes. He didn’t hear the end of it for a month.

Anyway, he could use a break, and he could demand food as payment. He’d been wanting Sayo-Kubo’s forever.

Grabbing the shirt from Victor’s room - it should concern him that the aforementioned piece of clothing was hanging right there on the closet door - he spent the long walk to the cafe thinking about Sayo-Kubo’s lunch menu.

 

* * *

 

 

They bought him food. It was delicious and just barely made up for Victor’s insufferable pining. He meant to return home as soon as Katsudon was dry and changed, but the promise of mozzarella sticks, pasta, a chocolate lava cake convinced him to stay. He creeped through the front door, a little sheepish but by no means guilty as he called out to Pyocha. The cat staggered out the living room, fur damp and face tinged green.

“Never again,” he groaned. “Next time, you do your laundry and I’ll sweep the floors. I think I saw my life flash before my eyes.”

He flopped himself on the hardwood with a look so pitiful that Yuri had to pick him. Cradling the sad feline to his chest, he cooed and rubbed until he heard soft snoring against his neck. Cats were precious, even magical ones that just took the form of house cats.

The thought of magic reminded him that he left six sealed apocalypses in the basement. He should probably put them back in his pocket before Pyocha found out he left home without them. He didn’t need him to stow away in his backpack again.

He opened the door and was rewarded with a tree branch to the gut and a feline screech.

 

* * *

 

 

“You found a card and didn’t write your name on it?” Pyocha screamed, fur standing on end. It would be cute if they weren’t currently tangled in a mass of branches.

“Why the fuck would I need to write my name on it?” he yelled back. This wasn’t the time to be getting a lecture. A dozen or so branches flew off the basement door, growing rapidly and entangling themselves around every open surface.

Pyocha sighed deeply, probably realizing he never bothered telling Yuri this crucial bit of information about resealing the Clow Cards. “The cards still recognize Clow as their master,” he explained. “So just sealing them won’t keep them dormant. You have to write your name on the cards for them to listen to you.”

“That didn’t stop me from using Windy or Fly,” he argued.

“Like I said, they’re both friendly cards. They’re easier to reason with than… Watery,” the cat frowned, “I’m surprised Wood did all this, to be honest. It’s the gentlest one of the bunch.”

Yuri snorted, “Yeah, because a jungle in my house is gentle.” He jolted, “Fuck wait, does this mean I have to seal all the fucking cards away again?”

“No, no,” he reassured. “Trust me, a jungle in the halls is the least of our worries if the other cards are loose.”

Yuri recalled his last two Clow Card encounters with a shudder and nodded. He released the staff and passed through the conveniently Yuri-sized hole left by the branches. “Nothing else we can do but seal it, I guess.”

“That’s the spirit, Yurio! It’ll be a synch with the other cards behind you.”

“Yeah… about that.”

 

* * *

 

Watery was out, because why fucking not?

“What are the chances it’ll fall for the freezer thing again?” he grumbled, soaking wet and hiding in a well-placed alcove.

“Yeah… no,” Pyocha drawled. “But you don’t have to worry about that since you’ve already sealed her. Just corner Watery and tap it with your staff, then it’ll return to card form.”

He slumped against the branches, “Thank fuck. I’m not going through another round of chase again. I don’t even have Fly with me.”

“We wouldn’t be having this problem in the first place if you just kept them in your pocket.”

“I don’t need this right now!”

When Watery was back in the aquarium, she was an invisible force in the water. Her dormant form was much easier to identify. She looked like a typical siren, webbed appendages and scaly tail included. Streams of water constantly flowed around her, bracing for potential attacks. Unfortunately for her, Yuri’s attack was the only thing she couldn’t deflect.

Clutching The Watery to his chest, he heaved for a few moments before tucking the stupid thing in his pocket. When he resealed the card, all the water damage disappeared, leaving him and the floor completely dry. Before he could use the same card to weaken Wood, the branches disappeared and green-haired woman covered in vines and leaves stood in front of him. She smiled, and Yuri assumed she was admitting defeat.

“I told you she was a gentle card,” Pyocha said as the woman hopped toward him and transformed into a card without prompting.

“Yeah, yeah,” he dismissed. Stuffing Wood in his pocket and locating the other four in on the undamaged desk. He opened the drawers and, spotting a pen lying among the random papers and office supplies, scrawled “Yuri” just under each of the card’s name banner.

 

##  **X.**

By virtue of being a high school first year of above average intelligence, Yuri wasn’t the most studious student. He wasn’t Victor “I graduated top of my class without batting an eye” Nikiforov, but he didn’t struggle as much as some of the morons in class did. Neither was he a frantic mess about university entrance exams coming in two years. Future Yuri could deal with that shit. He wasn’t wasting his time in cram school.

Before the whole Cardcaptor situation happened, he had a decent system going: get home, play video games, catch up on on-going shows, attempt to study, get distracted, have a minor existential crisis, play more video games, dinner, freak out about all the homework he had to finish, and conk out at midnight. He made the necessary adjustments for chores and the occasional reluctant classmate interaction, but he always got everything done by the end of the day.

Now?

“Fuck this, who even needs math?”

“If you complain less and worked more, you’d probably be finished by now.”

“No one fucking asked you!” he hissed. It was nearly five in the morning, and Yuri spent the better part of the last hour and half cramming assignments that were due later in the day. He finished the biology report and english essay with relative ease, but algebra was the enemy.

In the corner of his vision, he saw Pyocha rolling his eyes and burrowing himself into the drawer that housed the Clow Book. He reappeared a moments later, their newest catch floating behind him.

The Jump wasn’t as difficult to catch as the previous cards were. The dumbfuck slammed itself into a concrete wall after making Yuri chase it down six blocks. It wasn’t a very eventful adventure, and the most he did was return the stuffed panda it possessed to its home. Thankfully, Isabella Yang was on the phone with her jerk of a boyfriend and didn’t notice Yuri crawling into her window like a YA novel vampire. (Chulanont’s words not his.)

Yuri finished up club work, went home, demolished three plates of Yakov’s cooking, and was asleep before his head hit his pillow. Then he catapulted awake at four in the morning when whatever he was dreaming about reminded him about homework. He’d been panicking since.

“You can do it, Yuri! Just a few more problems,” Pyocha cheered. Jump spun in a lazy circle and tapped his crown in its own show of support.

Yuri sighed, “Whatever, hand me that eraser will you?”

There was no fighting it. This was his life now, doing homework when the sun rose with a flying cat and sentient cards cheering him on. It wasn’t all that bad.


	2. Chapter 2

##  **XI.**

His alarm blared to life at ass o'clock in the morning, and Yuri wasn’t a happy boy. He dragged his pillow to smother his face and pulled his sheets up to cocoon himself in a vain attempt to drown out the noise. He wasn’t getting up. Nope. No fucking way.

His alarm only increased in volume, accompanied by a warm weight on his abdomen that was growing familiar over time. He grumbled a plethora of curses in response.

“It’s not going to stop ‘til you turn it off,” Pyocha chirped.

“I hate everything and everyone. I hope you all fucking die.”

The voice was closer to his ear this time. “You wanted this! You told me not to let you snooze.”

He jolted upright, his sheets and pillow falling to the floor. Pyocha floated calmly in his face. Yuri wished looks could kill. “It’s. Sunday.”

“But you’ve got club stuff,” he whined. “Phichit won’t be happy if you’re late.”

He flopped back on the mattress and screeched through clenched teeth. “Fuck the club. Fuck Chulanont. I’m tired. I deserve a Me Day.”

Before Pyocha could argue, his bedroom door swung open to reveal Victor’s heart-shaped smile. “I heard that, baby brother! Phichit would be awfully upset if you skip clubwork. He’s sacrificing a day with My Yuuri for this~” His face brightened further at the sight of Pyocha sprawled clumsily at Yuri’s feet.

He approached and rubbed the harried cat behind the ears. “Let’s get some food in you, Pyocha. Makkachin’s done, so she won’t bother you too much,” his cat tone was much less indulgent than his dog tone. Victor sounded like he was talking to a person rather than a furbaby. Yuri supposed dog people were just like that.

Victor whistled softly and Makkachin bounded into the room and onto his bed. The poodle bounced excitedly, launching Yuri off the side with a huff. This sixty pound mass of fluff was a traitor of the highest order.

Victor laughed at his grumbling. “She’s hardly betraying you, Yurio. She’s just trying to help you get up for day,” he cooed. The poodle padded over to her human and nudged her head against his elbow, Victor chuckled and rewarded her good work with pats. He then placed Pyocha back on the bed and beckoned him down for breakfast before leaving.

“I made pirozhki for breakfast. Your grandpa’s recipe and everything~”

Yuri grumbled moodily and stayed face down on the hardwood. Pyocha jumped from the mattress and padded toward him. While his wings were out again, having magically disappeared when Victor invaded his personal space, the Guardian Beast of the Clow often preferred to travel around the house by walking. He seemed to be acclimating well to his role as a housecat.

“You know he’ll send Yakov up if you don’t stand up,” he said, face smug.

 

##  **XII.**

Yuri didn’t understand why new students needed to be paraded in front of class on their first day. Couldn’t they just trudge in and brood in their little corner of loneliness ‘til they were assigned a seat? The guy standing next to their homeroom teacher sure looked like he’d prefer that to this awkward introduction.

His name was Otabek Altin, according to the katakana on the board. He was from Kazakhstan and just moved to Japan for some reason or another.

The rest of his introduction went over his head as he turned away. New kids were nothing new. More than a third of the people living in Tomoeda moved from somewhere else. They usually got them at the start of the year rather than a few months in, though. Guess this was a more sudden move than normal.

“You can take the seat in the back behind Plisetsky over there,” the teacher said, likely gesturing to Yuri’s slouched form. Fuck, if their teacher expected him to play tour guide for the new kid, then he had another thing coming. The jerk could take his corner seat and leave him alone.

Huh, a corner seat. Guess he was in for some kind of anime protagonist adventure. They could form a club when it happened.

He turned his attention away from the window when he noticed the hushed murmuring around the room. Standing before him was the new kid, face stony and staring straight at him.

“What’re you lookin at, asshole?” he sneered. If the new kid wanted to start something, then he was game. But Guang Hong was a good boy and butted in.

“Your seat’s over there, Otabek,” he smiled, gesturing politely. “I can call you Otabek, right?”  
  
Rather than acknowledging the brunette, he held Yuri’s gaze for a few more seconds before taking his seat wordlessly. Yuri turned in his seat, seeing Altin hang his school bag on the desk shook before directing his gaze right in front of him.

Clearly, the new kid was trying to burn a hole through the back of his head. Because the asshole definitely glared at him all morning. And sure enough, he felt a strong hand on his shoulder as soon as they were dismissed for lunch.

“Are you coming with me or not?” he asked, gaze firm.

He hated life.

 

* * *

 

 

Naturally, the only one he could openly discuss the enigma that was the transfer student with was Pyocha. He did just that after coming home from school that afternoon.

“So you said this kid’s name was Otabek Altin?” Pyocha asked through a bite of blueberry muffin. Yakov brought up three, there was only half of one left and it would likely be in the cat’s stomach if he didn’t act quickly. “And what makes you think he had something to do with The Clow?”

Giving him a dry look, he responded. “His magic board shot a beam of light at me then he said, and I quote, ‘You have the Clow Cards. Give them to me.’”

“Ah well… I guess that means he’s got something to do with the cards.”

“The jerk lost me fifteen minutes of lunch break with his spiel,” he whined. “I thought this Clow thing was some mysterious magical ordeal I had to go through by myself. Why is this rando suddenly laying claim to them? I had to wear a fucking wetsuit to catch Watery, dammit.”

Pyocha sighed, “Every time I think you’re maturing and developing a proper relationship with the Cards, you do this and make me sad.”

“Whatever,”  he dismissed. “Tell me what you know.”

Pyocha sat up and revealed his fluffy wings, demeanour shifting from “sweet kitty” to “guardian kitty” in an instant. He explained as much as he knew. Clow Reed, the cat reminded him, was the child of two remarkably powerful mages. His father specialized in Western magic; his mother in Oriental magic. Otabek’s family descended from Clow’s mother, proven by the compass - (“Rashinban, Yuri”) - in his possession that supposedly gave him claim over the Cards.

“No it doesn’t,” Pyocha yelled, smacking Yuri in the face with his whole, furry body. “I chose you! You’re the Cardcaptor and no one else. That staff is the only thing that can seal the Clow Cards, and you’ve done more than enough to count yourself as their potential master. They’re yours, Yurio.”

His desk drawer slid open and seven glittering cards floated around him, some tapping him gently in comfort. It was warm.

“As much of an ass as you are to them sometimes,” Pyocha continued, “They like you.”

 

 

 

##  **XIII.**

It wasn’t raining, but the apocalyptic thunder and lightning weren’t a good sign. After all, they were both loud enough to ruin what was meant to be a tender moment between him and his sentient cards.

“It’s a Clow Card!”

“No shit, Pyocha.”

“I didn’t ask for your sass, Yurio,” he scowled, “Just call Phichit and get going!”

He didn’t have to, because his phone was already blaring with Chulanont’s designated ringtone. The third year’s voice shook in with an uncharacteristic wariness when he picked up. “You’re gonna want to come over,” he said, “There are crying children and lightning bolts, and frankly, I’m taking a huge risk using my phone like this.”

“Give us five minutes,” he promised.

Of all the convenient places for the card to be, it just happened to strike its horrible bolts of death next to his high school. Great news for the kiddies: no club activities today; bad news for Yuri: he had to go back to junior high.

Pyocha, the killjoy, opted against scaling the fence. Instead, they strolled through the gates to where Chulanont was hastily beckoning them over. “Hurry, before it happens again!” he hissed.

_It?_

He got his answer in the form a bolt of lightning striking right where he was standing. Oh, deadly lightning bolts. Yeah, they should hurry.

 

* * *

 

 

The sudden lightning storm scared everyone into staying in their classrooms. No one stood near the windows either, so Yuri didn’t have to be extra sneaky. God forbid he spend all this time being the Photography Club secretary just to have his cover blown in front of the entire Tomoeda Junior High student body and faculty. They were worse gossips than Chulanont sometimes.

Unsurprisingly, Chulanont had a costume ready for Yuri to change into. If he was being perfectly honest, Yuri would have been more shocked if he wasn’t ready for this.

“I was doing my sister a favor and giving her club a design workshop. Guess I chose the right sketch to work with.”

The outfit Chulanont subjected him to was made of shockproof clothing. He’d been on point since the Shadow Card incident; Yuri was never more thankful for that until that moment. He’d ignore the unnecessary flourishes if it meant he wouldn't be barbequed. It didn’t stop him from complaining though.

“Why?” he groaned, flicking his… headpiece.

Chulanont grinned behind the camera. “I thought you liked cats, Yurio?”

He grit his teeth in indignation, “Not enough to dress like one, you maniac!”

It would look every bit like a generic waiter uniform if not for the cat ears secured by a headband and the tail attached to his back by giant ass ribbon. They, and the bell around his neck, served no other purpose than to let Chulanont mess with him. At least he had the decency to make them lightweight or he would rip them off in a heartbeat.

The third year pat his head and rubbed behind the fake ears. Yuri felt his blood pressure rise.

“Aw, don’t be like that. You and Pyocha match even more now.”

“Fuck you!”

 

##  **XIV.**

In the heat of the moment, Yuri hadn’t asked Pyocha why a card that unleashed terrible blasts of lightning was called The Thunder. He was entirely too focused on their newest arrival.

“What the fuck are _you_ doing here?” he spat at the transfer student. Unlike his ridiculous cat waiter get up, he wore an embroidered robe over a white shirt and loose dark pants. His sash secured a sheathed sword to his back.

Altin shrugged, looking cool and completely comfortable with balancing on the very top of the school’s clocktower. “Clow Card.”

Oh right, he had to do the thing now too.

“Scaled the fence,” he added, answering Yuri’s silent query. “Your schools have horrible security.”

Screw Pyocha and his sensibility. He wanted to scale the fence too.

“Eight o'clock.”

Huh?

“Yuri, look out!”

“Holy shit! Fuck, _fuck,_ **_fuck!_ ** ” Yuri barely dodged the very fast, very powerful, very much would kill him bolt of lighting the Card spewed in his direction. He landed on his face against the tiled roof. Pyocha chomped on the back of his collar to prevent him from slipping off.

“Obey my command. God of Thunder, come forth!” Altin’s cry lacked the emotional inflection common in Yuri, but his attack was devastating nonetheless. Crackling white light erupted from Altin’s fingers, striking the mass of lighting dead on.

Yuri supposed that no one was going to explain the “lightning is also called thunder” when you cast spells thing. So he shrugged away the thought in favor of focusing his attention on the card. It fell from the sky upon being struck by Altin’s attack. It morphed from an indiscernible blob into the most impressive thing Yuri had ever laid eyes on.

“Holy fuck, that’s cool!” Poised for attack was an electric feline beast. It growled menacingly before charging at Altin.

The person in question turned nonchalantly at him. “Now would be a good time to catch it.”

Ah, right. He looked up at the much small, less deadly feline perched on his head. “Pyocha, Windy’s not going to work here, is it?”

The cat shook his head. “Wind can’t suppress lighting. If anything, you’ll be boosting its power.”

“How does that even work?” he asked.

Pyocha responded with a noncommittal shrug. “Beats me, Clow did all the magical trait balancing, not me.”

Across from them, Altin did a few grand leaps and blasted Thunder with more of his lightning. It wasn’t really doing anything past annoying the card. “Any day now, Plisetsky.”

Rather than getting into action, he turned to Pyocha. “You said only my staff could seal them, huh?”

“That’s right,” slitted eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“I’m going to let him stew for a bit, then. He thinks he can take the cards away from me, fat chance,” he scoffed. Shadow would probably work on it. Dark cancelled out light, didn’t it? He’d give it a try in a few minutes.

 

##  **XV.**

While is membership in the photography club was originally meant to be a cover for potential Cardcaptor duties, Yuri ended up taking his role as secretary seriously. While he didn’t exactly have the same interest in photography as everyone else was, it was actually interesting sometimes. That said, he was surprised to see Otabek Altin sitting across from him in the studio that afternoon.

“What the fuck is he doing here?” he whined. It was bad enough he sat behind him all day; he had to be here now too?

“Meet the newest member of the photography club, Yurio!” Chulanont sashayed between them, resting a hand on Altin’s shoulder. “I signed him up this morning.”

Fuck this.

“Don’t look at me like that, Yurio,” he pouted, hands now on his hips like a scolding mother. They had a stare off for an uncomfortable five minutes before Yuri finally relented with a growl. Altin had the audacity to applaud Chulanont when he announced his victory.

“I’m leaving him in your care, Mr. Secretary. He’s been wanting to talk you to you anyway,” he skipped out the door with cheshire smile. “Club activities start in a few, don’t be long.”

Yuri turned from the classroom door when he heard the sound of a window sliding open. Altin had one foot braced on the ledge, hands braced against the frame. “Are you coming with me or not?”

Chulanont probably had the whole place bugged. It was a good idea.

Yuri unsealed his staff and used Jump to follow him to the roof.

 

* * *

 

 

Small talk was not his strong suit. It wasn’t Altin’s either. They’d been staring at each other for some time now. Yuri could stand here all day if he needed to, but eventually, the other boy cracked and spoke.

“That was a smart move the other day, using The Shadow to stop the card.”

Huh, Yuri didn’t expect that. He assumed he was up for a trash talking session. “Someone like you could never be a Cardcaptor,” or “Apparently it doesn’t take much skill to capture the cards,” that sort of thing. Not direct compliments.

“Ugh well,” Should he compliment him back? Normally he’d just tell the other person to fuck off. “You did a good job too. Distracting it and all that.”

The sound the came from Altin showed his amusement. “Don’t think I didn’t see you stalling.”

Yuri didn’t feel the least bit guilty about letting Thunder have its fun. “Yeah, well you’re trying to do my job. So I think you deserve it.”

Altin rolled his eyes indulgently. He stepped closer and offered his hand in acquittance. Yuri cocked his head at the sight. Seeing his bemusement, Altin asked “So are we friends or not?”

Huh, he just made a friend.

They chose to use the stairs rather than jumping back in through the window. Clubs would be in session right now, and Chulanont would already have their heads to not letting him in on their conversation. They made small talk on the way back to the studio.

“How the fuck did Chulanont convince you to join anyway?”

Otabek paled slightly. “He was very convincing.”

He scoffed, “You have a giant ass sword.”

“Chulanont knew my address.”

“So? He knows where everyone lives. It’s his thing.”

“In Kazakhstan.”

“Oh… welcome to the club then.”

 

##  **XVI.**

Chulanont gave them fieldwork that afternoon. He gave everyone an hour with one of the school clubs and they had to “capture their essence”. Yuri was assigned to the Judo Club. Fortunately, it wasn’t as awkward as it should have been because Guang Hong Ji just happened to be a member.

“Phichit sent you, huh?” the brunet smiled, taking in his state-of-the-art camera and defeated expression. “He ran it by the Captain last week. You can shoot anything you want to as long as you stay in the dojo.”

He groaned. “Can’t you just give me some of the photos you already have?”

Guang Hong laughed. “Like he wouldn’t see right through that? Phichit took the last batch for us, you know?”

“It’s like the whole world owes that guy a favor,” he grumbled.

“You don’t know that half of it.” Such a solemn statement paired with his sweet expression unnerved Yuri a bit. He wouldn’t ask. His classmate continued, “It’ll be fun, trust me. You’ve never seen the team in action.”

 

* * *

 

 

The shutter clicked a mile a minute as Yuri captured the sixth spar with extreme admiration. It didn’t seem like much at first, just a bunch of dudes circling each other around a mat, pulling and shoving awkwardly. It reminded him of a much younger Yuri trying to wrestle Victor into submission when he was being especially annoying. Shirt-grabbing and all. Then before he knew it, one guy had the other pinned into submission.

Yuri hadn’t stopped voicing his admiration since. The upperclassmen looked on, some indulgent, others concerned.

“Plisetsky, please stop yelling at my idiots to crush each other’s heads,” Coach Odagaki cried from the mats. “It’s illegal.”

Yuri pshed. It was bad enough he couldn’t get close enough to capture better shots, but she had to ruin his fun too.

Guang Hong laughed from his spot beside him. He was finishing up his stretches, waiting for his turn on the mat. Off to the side, Yuri could see a few second years eyeing the brunet menacingly like he was a lamb ready for slaughter. He asked, “You never sparred here, have you?”

His classmate smiled. “They put us through a few weeks of hazing. This is the first day we get to participate in serious training with the upperclassmen.”

A conniving smirk - not unlike Phichit Chulanont’s signature expression - made its way to his face. “The one in the middle looks like he needs a bit of humbling.”

“Give me thirty seconds.”

Neither he nor Guang Hong hid their satisfied grins when the pompous second year hit the mat with a resounding thump.

 

##  **XVII.**

“How the fuck did you get here?”

“I’ve got cameras up everywhere, Yurio. Don’t think I don’t know when you plan on going shopping without me. This place has hamster caps!”

“And you?”

“I needed a leather jacket.”

“For what?”

“Aesthetic.”

“A leather jacket would suit you, Otabek.”

“Can we please just buy the thing for Guang Hong’s boyfriend and go?”

“Hey!”

“You’re the one looking at that terrifyingly sharp belt buckle.”

“Just pick a brooch already.”

To thank Guang Hong for beating the shit out of six brash judo second years, Yuri agreed to accompany him to find Leo a nice accessory for his band’s gig that Sunday. The shy boy gave him a little present before every single one of his performances. This time he was going for a brooch.

“They’re playing at an edgy pop up faux bar, and they’re dressing to the theme. I want to get him something that matches.” At Yuri’s perplexed frown he added, “Don’t look at me, JJ got them the gig.”

The ass always got them into the weirdest shit. They ended up on a impromptu trip to Canada once just because JJ’s grandma wanted to see her baby sing live. Thank god it was Golden Week or the Leroys would’ve had to deal with angry parents. Yuri still wonders how they got the visas so quickly; he assumed Isabella Yang had something to do with it.

“See anything he’d like then?”

Guang Hong huffed slightly as he browsed through the display. “I’m thinking. This is harder than I thought it would be.” He directed a questioning look at Yuri, “How do you pick anything out from all this?”

“I like cats,” he replied, swiping one shaped like a roaring lion’s head from the stand. It fit right in the center of palm; it would look good on his new jacket. He found this deceptively bright and pastel shop in junior high when they displayed the coolest tiger shirt known to man on their front window. He’d been a loyal customer ever since.

“Still undecided?” Chulanont butt in, a paper bag looped on his arm. “I’m sure Leo will love anything you get him.”

Guang Hong pouted. “That’s the thing, though. I want him to like it because it’s perfect not because I gave it to him.”

Yuri rolled his eyes. He thought Victor and Georgi were isolated cases, but this kind of ridiculous behavior apparently occurred in every relationship. “Choose one of those,” he pointed to the array of weapon-shaped pins.

His classmate’s eyes gleamed. “These are great!” he chirped as he scanned the display. Eventually, he settled on a rapier about the length of his hand. Thin white wings flanked the red jewel of its handle, a gold chain linking it to another red jewel on the blade’s tip.

“Perfect,” Guang Hong breathed, admiring the brooch as the cashier rang up his purchase. Yuri was great at this shit.

“You’re getting another cheetah print jacket, Yurio?” Chulanont cringed in distaste.

Instead of yelling, he chose to divert his attention. “Why don’t you get mad at Otabek’s style choices for once?”

“Because he makes good ones.”

Standing by the door in his new leather jacket, Otabek tipped an imaginary hat in Chulanont’s direction, a hint of a smirk on his face.

 

##  **XVIII.**

They ended up at Yuri’s place for snacks because Chulanont got word that Yuuri was coming over for dinner. Yuuri’s presence always meant their kitchen was stocked with everything from sweets to a whole turkey. What Victor planned to do with it was beyond him since Yakov was cooking tonight and Katsudon liked pork.

Yakov was still at the rink and he got a text from Victor that he took Makkachin out for her walk. So it was just the four students and his magical cat in the living room. Pyocha made himself comfortable in his lap, fuming silently at his inability to stuff his face. Thankfully, Guang Hong chalked up his rudeness to regular cat behavior.

“Otabek, gimme your jacket for a sec,” Chulanont cried through a stick of chocolate. “I wanna try something out.”

Otabek obliged without a fuss. Chulanont draped the black leather over Guang Hong’s shoulders and urged him to try the rapier brooch on. At their bewildered looks, he said, “We wanna know how it’ll look on him, don’t we?”

Guang Hong nodded enthusiastically and slipped his arms through the sleeves. Otabek’s slight height advantage and bulkier build showed in how the jacket dropped ever so slightly on him. He took the brooch from its box and gauged the best place to pin it to.

“Here?” he asked, hovering the pin over his heart. It was the traditional place, but it seemed too proper.

Chulanont shook his head vehemently, opening his hand out to Guang Hong. He circled the brunet for a minute before pinning the rapier to the left bicep. “There! It’s ironically and unironically edgy.” He stepped right in front of the boy and asked, “So what do you think?”

Rather than answer him, Guang Hong lunged.

 

 

Thankfully, Chulanont was alert and nimble. Despite being tackled over a couch, he managed to flip himself over and jump out of the way of another swipe from the blank-faced teen. Before Yuri could flip out and ask what the fuck he was doing, the brooch on Guang Hong’s arm answered for him.

In a swirl of ominously sparkling wind, the rapier pin grew exponentially - the golden chain snapping apart. Guang Hong gripped the hilt and swished the blade to point directly at him. Yuri barely moved his head in time before the very real sword pierced a hole through his seat.

“The Sword Card!” Pyocha yelled, on the ground having tumbled from Yuri’s lap with a jerk.

“I figured that much out myself, thank you!”

Guang Hong ripped the weapon out of the cushions and aimed for another strike, but luckily both Otabek and Phichit recovered from their shock and took action. Otabek parried Guang Hong’s attack with his own sword, kicking Yuri’s seat backwards as he did. Phichit yanked his arm, pulling him off and leading them out the door with Pyocha soaring behind them.

He just managed to unseal his staff when both Otabek and Guang Hong leapt outside through a convenient open window, somehow ruining Yakov’s perfectly trimmed hedges in the process.

“Your living room is wrecked,” Otabek said as Yuri took stance beside him. He actually sounded mildly apologetic about it.

“But my head isn’t, so you’re forgiven.” Otabek parried another attack and Yuri looked over the wall both Chulanont and Pyocha climbed for safety. “How the fuck do I stop this?!” He winced at the sound of a blade cutting through cement.

“Holy fuck, he can do that?!” Chulanont yelled, paling at the gash on the road.

“It can cut through anything,” Pyocha explained. “The stronger its user’s will is, the sharper and more deadly it is.”

“That’s not helping me much,” he whined. “How do I stop this thing? Otabek can’t fight him forever.”

“You have to get that sword out of hand. Distract him!”

Distract him? Oh, he had just the thing.

 

##  **XIX.**

Yuri had to admit he was still sore at Illusion for the whole “taking the form of my grandpa and sending me off a cliff” thing, but the card was just what he needed. Hollering at Otabek to keep Guang Hong distracted (“Yeah, sure. Take your time while I get closer and closer to getting a limb chopped off.”), he dove through the open window for his bag.

“You left the cards in your school bag?!” Pyocha screeched. The crack in his tone would be funny if the situation weren’t so dire.

“It’s not like I can fit them in my fucking pocket!” he retorted, hastily rummaging through loose papers. He should’ve thought to unseal the staff first. Fuck! Thankfully, it didn’t take long for him to catch the corner of the very card he needed. He loved magic.

He leapt back out the window just in time to see Otabek be thrown against a hedge, sword clattering away from him. Seeing his opponent was incapacitated, Guang Hong advanced for the kill.

Yuri beat him to it.

“Show him Leo de la Iglesia, Illusion. Hurry!” As always, the golden circle appeared as his feet as his staff touched the card. Unlike Yuri’s last encounters with the card, Illusion didn’t take on a solid-looking form. The mosaic pattern in its dormant form shaped itself into something that resembled a human silhouette.

It seemed more than enough to distract Guang Hong though. The boy eased from his aggressive stance and stared at Illusion with wide eyes. His previously blank expression morphed into one of shock and dreamily, he whispered Leo’s name.

Yuri resisted the urge to gag and slapped Sword right out of his limp hand. With a swift downward motion, he returned it to its card form.

Pyocha slammed into him with a pen in his mouth, an odd mixture of pride and incredulity in his expression. Otabek reached for his sword and directed a thumbs up in Yuri’s direction. Chulanont jumped out of his hiding place to catch Guang Hong as he lost consciousness.

“Um… did I interrupt something?”

And Katsudon rounded the corner with a paper bag and a curious smile.

Yuri had to wonder what kind of life Katsudon had that he carried an unconscious boy back into a ransacked living room without asking any questions. The fact that he didn’t even bother to ask about the leaves in Otabek’s hair, the pink rod in his hands, or the fact that Pyocha was clumsily draped on Yuri’s face. Nope, all he cared about was getting Guang Hong back inside and the fact that no one was wearing shoes.

The sheepishness on Chulanont’s face as Katsudon scolded him about the extremes he sometimes went to for a good shot explained most of it. But god, the mess that Sword put them in was easier to cover up than he thought it would be.

 

* * *

 

 

Guang Hong didn’t remember how he lost Leo’s brooch, only that it was gone when he woke in Yuri’s living room. He was far too embarrassed for passing out so suddenly that it didn’t occur to him that the pin was missing ‘til the next day. Regardless, he lost it somewhere in that mess and now he didn’t have anything for Leo.

He slumped against his desk with a heavy sigh. His fourth in as many minutes. While he could easily buy him another brooch, that one had called to him. It was perfect. He doubted he’d be able to find something as fitting as that sword anywhere else. To make matters worse, he would be meeting Leo at lunch without his promised gift.

He startled out of his reverie when a light object settled on his head. Only then did he realize that class was dismissed, everyone stowing their textbooks away and bring out their lunches. He looked up to find Yuri standing over him, eyes averted and frown bashful. Following his outstretched hand, Guang Hong saw a small box hovering over his head.

At his questioning look, Yuri said, “We couldn’t find your brooch anywhere, so I thought… er… here.” He placed the box in his hands and scurried out of the classroom and scurried away, Otabek following him with an amused smirk.

Guang Hong directed his attention to the small object. He carefully pulled the cover open, revealing its contents. “Oh!”

Nestled in a small, foam mat was a golden pin. The roaring lion’s head that Yuri purchased at the store with him yesterday.

He smiled. Now that he thought about it, that would probably suit Leo too. He’d love it. Guang Hong would have to make sure Leo knew who to thank for it.

 

##  **XX.**

There was a pattern in catching the cards - get your perfectly normal day ruined by some odd phenomenon, realize the signs of it happening were all there in hindsight, unseal his staff, get questionable advice from Pyocha, suffer through the card’s magical quirk, seal the damn card, and have Chulanont complain that he either got nothing on camera or didn’t shoot from the right angle. Today was no different.

The day began with celebratory poppers, a blank scoreboard, and Yuri spewing profanities at the second year basketball teams. It continued on to the obstacle courses, several bouts in sports he could care less about, and an inter-year race that was interrupted by the quad filling up with flower petals.

“Should we be worried about him?” Phichit laughed, squinting past the shower to where Otabek abandoned his sprint in favor of swimming through the ever-growing pool of flowers.

Yuri took in the scene with all the passion of a wet sock. “No, he’s got a score to settle with JJ.”

He didn’t actually have anything against the obnoxious second year, but Yuri did, and Otabek promised to leave him the in the dust. Friends were great. Right behind his friend, JJ had also forgone any pretense of running for a well-executed butterfly stroke.

“I guess he’s covering for you too. Not that the flowers aren’t doing a good job of that on their own,” Phichit reasoned. He shrugged, “Do your thing, then.”

Tucking themselves into a particularly blinding spot on the quad, Yuri unsealed his staff and summoned Fly. Phichit hitched a ride on the winged staff, taking his phone out and calling Pyocha. They flew off to the rooftops as it rang. He answered as the pair spotted a dancing, pink lady on the far side of campus.

 

* * *

 

 

Yuri ran into his fair share of messes since becoming the Cardcaptor. The errant card of the week always had its way for fucking up a perfectly good moment and leaving him to suffer one way or another. But studying, cleaning up or having to explain how a classmate suddenly passed out in their front yard was nothing compared to the horror of what this obnoxiously happy floral woman was doing.

Chulanont didn’t even bother trying to hide his amusement at Yuri’s predicament, and from the cackling on speaker, neither was Pyocha. Yuri maintained his heated glare at The Flower that twirled them around. As soon as Pyocha confirmed that the dancing pink lady was, in fact, a Clow Card, Yuri approached her with all the ferocity of a badass motherfucker. She, in turn, lifted him off the ground and spun them around in a dance. Yuri swore up a storm.

“Thinking of sealing it anytime soon, or do you plan to continue your waltz?” Chulanont called from a safe distance away.

“Shut the fuck up, and tell me how to seal it!”

Static chortling was his response. “Just bear with it for a little longer. She doesn’t mean any harm, really. She should be good after the dance.”

Flower was drawn by excitement, Pyocha told them, she liked appearing on special occasions to contribute to the fun. If contributing meant drowning a school in petals and humiliating unknowing cardcaptors, then she was doing a great job of it.

“Bless Clow Reed,” Chulanont chuckled. “If that’s it, I’m hanging up, Pyocha. Gotta record this for posterity!”

“Send me a copy, Phichit!”

“Will do~”

“Oh, fuck you!”

 

* * *

 

 

“Return to your true form,” he spoke, several minutes too long later. He tapped the air a few inches shy of the woman’s smiling face. “Clow Card!”

A glowing silhouette of a card appeared on the tip of his staff, swallowing Flower in a gust of pink aura and flowers. It fluttered in the magic-induced wind slightly before settling itself into Yuri’s waiting hand. With her corkscrew pigtails and elegant gown, her eyes closed gently, the card looked like the last thing one would expect to drown a quad’s worth of people.

Chulanont approached with a satisfied grin. “I knew being your secret keeper was a great idea.”

“Kiss my ass, fucker.”

He summoned Fly with a swift tap of its Card, watching his staff’s wings elongate once again. He mounted, and growled in the third year’s direction. “Find your own way to get back down!”

 

* * *

 

 

“I thought you said these things would cause some kind of apocalypse if they stayed loose,” Yuri said. “So why the fuck does a card like this exist?”

He slouched on his desk, eyeing the bothersome card he caught earlier that day. On his perch by on the bench window, Pyocha inhaled his portion of that evening’s dessert. While the cat seemed perfectly capable of surviving without food and drink, he made Yuri’s life that much harder by insisting he still enjoyed the taste. Since then, all the blame on food randomly disappearing out of their fridge went to Yuri. And only half of it was actually his fault.

Pyocha cocked his head, perplexed, and Yuri elaborated. “Raining flowers everywhere is hardly a disaster, stupid and a bitch to clean up, but nothing too bad.”

“Yuri, the cards themselves aren’t the disaster,” he said, “and in the first place, Clow didn’t create them to hurt people.”

His mind flashed to some of the more memorable cards in the deck and scowled. “Yeah, you could’ve fooled me.”

The cat huffed, “Clow was a powerful sorceress, and she made the cards to contain her magic. When she was alive, she used every single one of them to bring some kind of good into the world.”

“Then why seal them away in the first place?”

Pyocha’s face fell, wings drooping along. “No one lives forever, not even the most powerful mage of her time.” He looked up from the crumb-filled plate, eyes glistening. “I don’t know what you think of me and the cards, Yuri, but we’re actual, living beings to Clow. She couldn’t stand the thought of destroying us, so she sealed us away.”

“Why?”

“To find a new master.”

Yuri snorted, “And somehow, you end up in my house’s basement study?”

He shrugged, “We were sealed not too long after the cards were, Clow didn’t say where we’d go, only that we’d awaken to a new master one day.” He shot Yuri a dry look, “And we can’t exactly do that if most of the cards are still running wild.”

Yuri scowled, “It’s hardly my fault this all happened. It was the creepy humming!”


	3. Chapter 3

##  **XXI.**

Minami spent the latter half of the term hinting a possible trip to the beach. And by hinting, Yuri meant he screamed at them every alternating day for a month and a half about ensuring the first week of break was reserved for a beach trip. Once their teachers set them free, along with a negligible reminder to do their assigned work, the excitable chicken nugget slammed copies of their itinerary on their desks and told them too meet up at nine the next day.

Doctor and Doctor Minami had taken care of asking their parents for permission, he said. Their week effectively booked, Yuri, Otabek, Guang Hong, and Leo took a bullet train to the Minami family beach house.

Minami’s parents and brother mostly left them alone to do their thing; the former enjoying time together without the stress of work, and the latter holed in his room with several medical books. They spent the first three days strolling the pier and shore, interrupting other beachgoers with their obnoxious teenage boy-ness. By night, they stayed up past designated lights out and listened to Minami’s sketchy online-sourced horror stories.

The fourth day of their trip had the excitable chicken nugget bouncing about the foyer and staring intently at an announcement on his phone.

“Guys, it’s tonight! It’s toniiiight~!”

Leo, barely managing to grasp the jug of juice Minami knocked over, looked on indulgently, “What’s tonight?”

He paused, his body’s not-so-subtle vibration altering them of his uncontained elation. “The test of courage!

Ah yes, the mandatory summer outing test of courage. It seemed no matter where they spent their break, Yuri always wound up participating in one. Even that one year they went to Moscow.

 

* * *

 

 

Minami told them the legend behind the haunted cave on their way there that evening. It was said that a group of students about their age held a test of courage there years ago. They were tasked to go in pairs and leave a single lit candle by the shrine. There was only one known way to enter and exit the cave, so the only thing preventing anyone from doing what they need to was their own cowardice.

“After a while, the organizers wondered why no one was coming back. They couldn’t possibly be be lost,” Minami said, voice low and ominous. To his left, Guang Hong clung to a paling Leo. He and Otabek trailed behind them with matching looks of skepticism. It wasn’t that terrifying of a story. He’d seen chick flicks that gave him more nightmares than whatever tale the chicken nugget was spewing.

“When they went inside to check… there was no one there!”

Leo and Guang Hong’s harmonized shrieks of terror had Otabek unsealing his sword from the small charm that hung from his pocket. Yuri had to tackle him to the ground to prevent another Chulanont reveal.

Minami, satisfied with the aftermath of his questionable tale, grinned triumphantly. “But that’s not the end of the story, you see-”

“Kenjirou! If you can hurry up and grace us with your presence, we can see what’s so scary for ourselves!”

Bless Kentaro Minami. Whatever fuckery Minami got off legit_local_haunts could wait ‘til later that night.

 

* * *

 

 

Like Minami’s story, they were broken into pairs to bring a single candle to a shrine. Their lateness brought about one good thing, being paired with people they actually knew. While older Minami’s friends were paired off with randos, the six of them would have an easier time of walking through the dark grotto.

When their turn to enter approached, Minami all but yanked the candle out of the startled organizer’s hands and skipped into the dark cave, his brother running after him. Leo and Otabek were queued two groups behind them, the latter sending him a stoic thumbs up as he and Guang Hong followed five minutes later. For someone who manhandled upperclassmen on the regular basis, he was a weenie. He grasped onto his sleeve, making whimpering sounds he’d only ever heard from a begging Makkachin.

“Why’d you agree to this if you were so scared?” he asked, after his partner jumped for the fifth time in two minutes.

“M-minami was so excited,” he stuttered, a slight hint of whining in his voice. “I couldn’t say no.”

The urge to slam his head against the cave walls was real. Rather than voice his displeasure, however, he decided to make his life easier for himself.

He leaned closer and whispered, “Someone’s hiding at the next turn. It’s probably one of the organizers set up to scare us."

Guang Hong paled, but responded with a firm nod. He squared his shoulders, took the candle from Yuri’s hands, and shoved the blond forward. Jaw set, he grasped Yuri’s shoulders from behind and stepped closer, returning the candle to his care.

“Don’t punch him,” he said, and Yuri was torn between amusement and exasperation.

Unfortunately, Guang Hong’s human shield hadn’t been effective. Despite expecting a jumpscare to occur, they both screeched as the hooded figure greeted them with a machete.

 

* * *

 

 

It was a paper mache-te, the woman choked out between peals of laughter. Her hood had long been thrown off her head, exposing her curly bob and kind features. She was hunched over in amusement and clinging to the cave wall, cackling all the while. She allowed them to pass without any more ceremony, and Guang Hong had the presence of mind to drag Yuri away before the blond remembered he had a sharp tongue and no mercy.

They didn’t get very far when he did, though.

“Stupid bitch,” he muttered, glaring at the flickering candle. It had nearly gone out when Yuri dropped it in fright. Had it gone out, they would have had to go through the ordeal all over again (and explain just what happened to those still outside).

“Yuri,” Guang Hong admonished. There was little bite to his tone, his expression bemused rather than scandalized. “Actually, I’m surprised you didn’t say anything worse.”

He waved it off, “Let the feeling settle. I’ll show you how many languages I know when it does.”

“Lemme just take that,” he said, stealing the candle away. “I won’t be held responsible if you burn someone with it.”

“You know me so well,” he deadpanned.

His partner laughed, and they advanced in a comfortable silence. Thankfully, no other sadistic, cloaked figure jumped out to scare them. It was a few moments later that Guang Hong stopped and turned to him with wide eyes, Yuri hummed in question.

“We’ve been here a while now,” he began, “Why haven’t any of the other pairs passed us yet?”

Yuri started, realizing the same. The organizers reiterated that it would be impossible to get lost on their way, that there were no alternate routes to their destination. They’d been in the last batch of people to enter; no matter how far a walk it was, they should have passed at least one other group by now.

Before he could reason the situation out, they heard a scream from further inside, one sounding distinctly like Minami. He and Guang Hong ran toward the sound.

 

##  **XXII.**

They found a head of blond and red crouched pitifully in a ball on the ground. The small shrine stood some distance on the other side of a dark lake, a old rope bridge being the only way across. There were no candles on the base of the shrine, nor were there any other people around aside from them.

“One minute he was standing right there,” Minami explained, gesticulating wildly to his side, “then he disappeared!”

If his wet eyes weren’t enough evidence that he was telling the truth, the distinct lack of older brother was.

“I don’t know what’s happening,” Minami sobbed, searching frantically for a hint of his brother around. “We shouldn’t have done this. It’s all my fault.”

Guang Hong wrapped and arm around his weeping friend, keeping the small fire away from their bodies. He rubbed circles on his back with the other.

“Minami,” he began.

But before he could ease Minami’s ill-placed guilt, the boy in his arms faded and disappeared before their eyes. He locked eyes with Yuri for a split second before grasping his hand and pulling him along.

“He have to run,” he gasped, fear flooding his watery gaze. “Something terrible’s happening and-”

His friend never finished, because like Minami before him, he vanished, Yuri’s outstretched hand now empty. The candle in Guang Hong’s hold clattered to the old, wooden slats and caught fire. It was all Yuri could do to scramble to the other side as fast as his legs could carry him. He leaped the last foot and tumbled in a heap.

He watch as the flames consumed the bridge, too scared to stand. Everyone who went in disappeared. They came here and vanished, and Yuri had no idea where they were.

Or if he was next.

His panicked mind swirled in horrible thoughts, one horrible possibility after the other. He could have been sitting there for days when he heard a familiar voice calling out for him. No less calm, but marginally relieved, he called back to it.

Otabek emerged from the tunnel, his candle clutched away from him. He knelt before Yuri and placed a hand on his shaking shoulders.

“Everyone’s gone,” he said, biting his cursed wobbling lip.

“The same happened to Leo,” he said, his face hard. Otabek squeezed his shoulder urgently, “Yuri, you have to calm down. You know what this is. Come on, breathe.”

He did as he instructed, each deep breath clearing his mind until he realized Otabek was right. He stood, resolute.

“A card then?” he asked.

Otabek hummed in affirmative, “I’ve been feeling something odd in his cave, but I thought it came natural to placed like this.”

He squealed, “Wait, so you’re saying the cave is actually haunted?”

“Yes, but that’s not the point,” he said. “Now that we’re here, I’m sure there’s a card.”

From the hammerspace that existed somewhere in his back pockets, he took out a board shaped like an eight-sided star. The Rashinban was an artifact his family inherited from Clow, which she inherited from her own mother. From what he’d seen so far, its user could locate the cards. As Otabek muttered the incantation to activate it, Yuri saw each character glow, sending two balls of light to the Tao symbol on its center. From there, a green beam shot out to the direction of the shrine.

“There.”

Yuri unsealed his staff in anticipation. Before he could summon Fly to carry them across, Otabek stopped him.

“It’s best we sneak up on it,” he said. “It could target one of us.”

With a hand sign and a swift invocation to the wind, Otabek lifted both himself and Yuri to the shrine. Without further delay, he grasped the knobs on the shrine doors, and turned back to face Yuri.

“It’s probably going to active again once I open this. Seal it immediately or you’ll disappear too.”

He clutched the bright pink rod to his chest. “The others will come back after this, won’t they?”

“We’ll have to seal it to find out.”

 

* * *

 

The next day found their group slumped around the breakfast table in various states of discontent.

“And you’re sure we actually went?” Minami whined, nibbling on his toast. Flanking him, Leo and Guang Hong pouted. Useless Otabek stuffed a heaping spoon of rice in his mouth.

“Yes, and it was a good time for all of us, some dudes cranked out happy juice and you all died,” Yuri repeated.

Between this explanation and the actual reason for their missing memories of the night before, Yuri preferred this one. It wasn’t like he could tell them all that a mischievous Clow Card made them all vanish, and they all somehow appeared in their respective beds once it was captured.

Actually, he could, but he’d have to use Erase to make them forget.

 

 

##  **XXIII.**

Due to his skaters’ Grand Prix Final assignments, Yakov couldn't make it to their annual trip to the family summerhouse. Instead, Katsudon took his designated spot in Victor’s flashy, Barbie pink convertible. As per tradition, Yuri was left to mull in the backseat along with one wriggly poodle, one reckless magical cat, and all their overpacked bags. Victor offered him a spot up front, but the thought of sitting beside - or god forbid, sitting between - their simultaneously unresolved and overly resolved sexual tension made him gag.

“Keep your eyes on the road, asshole! Katsudon’s not pretty enough to drive us into a pole!”

Victor, in fact, did not drive them into a pole. However, he did miss a speed bump and nearly sent the car flying. Everyone kept their eyes on the road after that, even the animals.

They pulled up to the two-storey cabin just in time for lunch. Thankfully, Yakov had the presence of mind to remind them to pack food beforehand. After eating pre-packed bento and giving Katsudon a quick tour of the premises, they and the animals settled in the living room while Victor carried their luggage about.

“Does he need help?” Katsudon said from his comfortably laid out position on the long couch. On his lap, Makkachin boofed and nuzzled his hand in request for love. He complied and lifted the huge poodle to lie completely on his body. Pyocha leaped from his spot on Yuri’s side to nuzzle against them.

Yuri rolled his eyes at the sight. “Like we’re actually gonna get up and help him.”

“I was being polite,” Katsudon shrugged.

Victor swooped in and placed two framed photographs over the fireplace, brushing off some non-existent dust with a smile. He flashed a wink in their direction before heading off to place Makkachin’s doggy beds in every room (like she wouldn’t be sleeping at the foot of his bed like always).

Katsudon peered at the photos, amused, “Redheads, really?”

He responded with a noncommittal shrug, “He likes to mix it up.”

Victor Nikiforov didn’t know who his parents were; no one did. All anyone was certain off was that they were dead. How they proved that was a mystery, but it was enough for both Yakov and Lilia to accept the toddling misfit into their home. Victor took it all in stride and chose to “remember them” anyway.

“So what if I don’t know what they look like?” he told Yuri once, “They existed, and that’s all that matters, right? I’m sure they won’t mind if I chose someone else’s picture to stand in for them. Maybe I’ll get it right one of these days.”

Victor gathered an impressive collection of stock photos over the years. He would use a different one every day and display the images on their shrine or to places he’d visit. While Yuri wondered how the people in the photographs would react to being the image of someone’s dead parents, he couldn’t fault Victor for doing what he did.

Katsudon smiled, nuzzling into both Makkachin and Pyocha. “There’s this fashion magazine my sister pretends she doesn’t follow, do you think Victor would want some clippings?”

He snorted, “Japanese parents? Odd, but I think he’d find it hilarious.”

 

##  **XXIV.**

_Yuri opened his eyes to thousands of glowing lights. Small things, like fireflies, fluttering like the first snowfall. A single spark landed on the tip of his outstretched finger, and he marvelled at the little light. He narrowed his eyes and turned to the sky, contemplating the familiar sensation surrounding him. It was almost like..._

 

* * *

 

 

Since some coincidental force of nature governed Yuri’s life, a nearby shrine just happened to be having a festival that evening. And among Victor’s massive pile of overpacked mess were three yukata with poodle, katsudon bowl, and tiger patterns respectively. Pets were allowed, food was abundant, and a fireworks display would happen, so Yuri was more than willing to go.

On their way, Katsudon regalled stories of festivals in Hasetsu. How he and his sister would assist in preparations, their family having close ties with the shrine. It was all interesting until Victor asked more questions about Katsudon’s childhood than the festivals. Yuri blocked most of the conversation out in lieu of admiring the array of stalls to spend money on.

It took all of ten minutes to ditch the old man and his boyfriend, who stopped at every game booth to take turns to win the other a prize, their poodle hot on their heels. It was disgusting as fuck, and he was thankful he could wander off on his own. From his perch on his head, Pyocha scanned the array of food laid for them.

“Get me everything, Yuri,” he demanded, unabashed.

He glared at the furry head bending over him. “You don’t even need to eat. Why the fuck should I spend all that money on you?”

Pyocha, as the Guardian of the Clow, drew his life and power from the Cards themselves. He didn’t need to eat to survive as long as Yuri did his job and caught the rest of the runaways. But of course, that didn’t stop Pyocha from wanting to eat.

“Can you blame me? Smell that yakitori, Yurio! Smell it and tell me food isn’t delicious!”

They bought several sticks and ate them without an ounce of regret.

 

* * *

 

 

While Yuri didn’t mind the noise, he felt the greatest urge to leave some time ago. Rather than return to the summerhouse, they sequestered themselves by the lake. Pyocha hovered above the lake and flew the perimeter in a lazy circle. When he returned, he did with the most elated grin on his furry face.

“What?” he drawled.

“You sensed it!” he chirped.

“Sensed?”

Pyocha didn’t answer. Rather, it did. Yuri watched with wide eyes as several small lights flooded his little secluded spot. The green sparks fluttering around him almost like…

“Like fireflies,” he gasped. Remembering his dream from the night before, one he’d nearly forgotten when Pyocha shook him awake that morning. He turned to the cat, the realization having dawned on him.

“It’s a card,” he said. “This is a Clow Card.”

He nodded. With an encouraging tone, he asked, “Do you know it’s name?”

And somehow, Yuri did.

“Glow,” he whispered.

The effect was instantaneous. The small lights burned brighter, nearly blinding him in their brilliance. They moved toward him in a spiral trail, coalescing into a single, tiny figure. A fairy, about the size of Yuri’s hand, floated before him. She flicked her lit reed once, her puffy skirt fluttering at the movement. Pyocha gestured toward his key.

 

* * *

 

 

He walked back to the bustling festival with The Glow safe in his pocket and Pyocha perched around his shoulders.

“I’m so proud of you, Yuri,” he cooed. “Not only can you sense them, but you’re a dream-seer too!”

He chortled, “I dreamed about glowing lights once, and you call me a dream-seer?”

“It’s no coincidence, Yuri! You should know that. It means you’re growing as a Cardcaptor.”

“I better be,” he scoffed. “I’m not dealing with Chulanont’s shit and wasting all my free time to be some level one noob.”

Pyocha sighed, “Sometimes, I think we’re making progress, then you do this to me.”

Yuri didn’t get the chance to retort, as Victor and Katsudon assaulted his vision with a cloud of stuffed animals. He would have yelled at them both, but they’d given him all the cats they won.

 

 

 

##  **XXV.**

Victor and Katsudon were in Fukuoka for a class trip, so Pichuuri Day had to be postponed. Instead, Chulanont had the pleasure of hosting Yuri for the day.

“I could be doing literally anything else right now, Chulanont. Don’t you have a hoard of friends and backup friends further up on the ‘to invite to my huge ass mansion’ list?”

“Oh please, Little Yuri,” the third year smirked, “I crossed most of them off the list ages ago. Even some of the ones below you.” He snapped a selfies in quick succession, then inspected each of the twenty-odd shots with a critical eye. “Besides, you’re due for a fitting. Maybe you’ll get your growth spurt and be a big boy soon.”

“Fuck you,” he grumbled, knowing it would be moot to argue. This normally wouldn’t stop him from throwing a teenage tantrum, but the servants just finished setting up a modest buffet for them as a snack. Rich sort-of-friends were great.

In the corner of the room, next to the castle that housed three hamsters, Pyocha lounged on a massive cat bed with a few plates of his own. While he was usually easier to handle than the average house cat, getting an animal onboard a bus undetected was harder than he expected. Regardless, they may it there without much trouble. Pyocha’s presence usually meant a Clow Card was up to no good. This was no different.

“How long has this been happening?” the feline asked after gulping down half his body weight in snacks.

Chulanont’s brows furrowed, frowning slightly as he thought. “Probably since they got loose, but I only noticed a few days ago. Thankfully, no one else got to it first. If you’re done, we can take a look.”

He didn’t eed to be so cryptic about it, but Chulanont was always one for dramatics. Yuri finished off his sundae and stood; Pyocha followed suit, making sure his wings were carefully hidden from view. The top floor of the expansive manor had six bedrooms, each with their own bathrooms, studies, and dining sets - five for the Chulanont family, and another for the occasional guest.

“My parents are out having an anniversary lunch,” he said, explaining why the hall seemed far too quiet, “and my sister and brothers are in the library.” Leading them to the room at the end of the hall, he continued, “It took getting them a DDR machine to leave us alone for the afternoon. Nuzzling time with Pyocha too.”

Ignoring the feline’s cries of protest, Yuri rolled his eyes in response, “Is bribery the only way your family works?”

He grinned. “Nah, it’s just more fun that way.”

They were lead to what was apparently the family room. Plush couches and chairs were set in a curve in front of a large television. Beside a set of large windows was a shelf filled with board games and DVDs. The adjacent wall was covered in framed family photos, spanning from his parents marriage to present day. Under largest portrait was a small podium, and resting on that was a white marble chest.

“That it,” Chulanont said. “We keep valuables in here. I tried to get it open since the start of this week, but every time I do…” He advanced slowly with a small key. Yuri’s jaw dropped at the barrier that appeared suddenly when Chulanont’s hand was close enough to the lock. It sizzled for a second before sending the small object flying across the room.

“Yup, that’s definitely a Clow Card.”

 

* * *

 

 

It was the Shield Card, Pyocha concluded. That was pretty much a no-brainer, Shield protected important possessions and whatever the Chulanonts’ chest of treasures contained definitely would count as important. As an errant card, however, it wouldn’t even let the box’s owner get to what was inside.

“You keep your important stuff in a chest in your family room?” Yuri asked, incredulous, “With one key? Safes exist, y’know, banks too.”

“Don’t question our methods, Yurio,” he deadpanned. “Just fix it.” Well, someone was being unusually testy today. Even so, he had his phone directed at the pair with a small smile.

Yuri released the staff, foregoing the usual theatrics for a murmured incantation and a quick flourish. He glanced toward Pyocha, floating beside him.

“I can’t just seal it, can I?” At the feline’s noncommittal shrug, Yuri grumbled. “It would be a pretty crappy shield if it were that easy.”

Pyocha flew around the box in a lacy circle before he said, “You need to break it defenses first. It’s a stubborn thing.”

“You’re going to make me figure this out on my own, aren’t you?”

Shrugging dismissively, he smirked, “You’ve been doing just fine on your own lately, why not? This one’s not very hard anyway.”

Pyocha was right, it wasn’t. What else could beat an unbreakable shield than the strongest sword after all. He would have considered using Erase, but he was at risk of the Card making the box disappear along with the spell. That would kind of defeat the purpose of what he was doing.

The magic circle appeared as he called on The Sword. The spell took effect immediately, transforming the staff with a thin blade and hilt. “Be careful, Yurio,” Pyocha cautioned, “you could tear down the walls if you swipe too hard.”

He couldn’t afford rebuilding the photo wall. It probably cost more than Yakov’s car, and his stepfather definitely wouldn’t be subsidising the expense. With the very tip of the blade, he tapped the barrier gently.

It broke immediately.

 

* * *

 

Yuri should have realized that the chest contained sentimental possessions rather than expensive things like cash and jewelry. If the rest of the Chulanont family were anything like their eldest son, it should have been expected. Without Shield messing with them, it opened with a soft click when Chulanont turned the key on the lock.

The lid was flipped away, and Yuri was graced with the sight of a pile of random objects. Chulanont lifted a small, fragrant box with a smile. “Mom saved some flowers from her wedding bouquet, we wanted to add this to the arrangement we prepared for them tonight.”

He wasn't moved by that at all, no way. Still, he offered, “Do you need more flowers? I could… I could make more flowers.”

Chulanont directed him with a shit-eating grin, “Aw, so you are soft after all.”

“Shut the fuck up!” he cried, heat flooding to his face and averting his gaze from the indulgent look. He scanned the other contents of the chest with a scowl.  A crudely-made charm bracelet, a folded piece of paper with faded angel stamps, baby teeth in labelled glass bottles, and oh-

Chulanont took notice of his raised eyebrows and smile took over his face. “Cute, huh?”

It was a plush hamster, just small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. Light brown in color, Yuri knew it was handcrafted by skilled, perpetually stressed hands. A thin, baby blue ribbon secured a small card in the shape of a bowl of katsudon to the toy. The message “Happy Birthday, Phichit!” was written in careful script.

“I had to call his mother and print the card out myself for him to write that, you know?” he chuckled. “Like I’d actually believe a secret admirer just left it in my bag for me.”

 

##  **XXVI.**

That Sunday, Yuri and Victor spent their afternoon with Yakov at his rink. His skaters were gearing up for their last qualifier, and the brothers thought to bring them a relatively healthy lunch. It was a tradition from when Yakov and Lilia were still married, and people still mistook Victor for their pretty, little girl. Back then, the skaters were treated to catering, care of the Baranovskaya brand of extraness; these ones had to settle for home cooked food a la adopted sons. While Victor and Yuri weren’t exactly five-star chefs, they could make a decent meal.

“It’s lunchtime!” Victor sang, leaping through the threshold with his regular flourish. Yuri ambled behind him in a more sedated pace, carrying half of their treat in his overstuffed backpack.

Yakov directed his attention to the interruptions he brought into his life and sighed. He long gave up on scolding them for barging in unannounced, but he had a duty to tell them off. “Vitya, what did I say about coming to the rink?”

Victor flashed his signature wink-ding smile. “Make sure we’ve done all our homework and don’t bother you,” he said, parroting the only rules Yakov actually set for them several years ago. “Yuri finished everything last night, and it’s not bothering you if you’re supposed to be taking a break.”

Arguing with Victor was a waste of time, and Yakov, above anyone, knew this. “Mila! Georgi! You heard him. Cool down and get ready for lunch.”

The aforementioned skaters whooped excitedly and did as instructed.

Contrary to what most people thought, Yakov was a giant softie. He trained most of his pupils since early childhood and they were all just as much his children as Victor and Yuri were. While he yelled at them loud enough to make the ground shake, he was there for every important happening whether on or off the ice. And he freaked out just as much - if not more than all of them combined - around this time of year.

So his sons took it upon themselves to ensure that both he and the frazzled ice fairies got enough rest and sustenance in them and didn’t train themselves to death.

Victor swiped Yuri’s backpack off his shoulders (somehow unbuckling it from his body without hurting him) and skipped to Yakov’s office. If anything, at least he respected the No Eating rule in the rink and lobby.

Yakov sighed again and glanced at Yuri. “He mentioned your work being done, but is his?”

He shrugged, “What am I, his keeper?” Shoving his hands in his pockets, he headed for where Victor was likely finished finished laying out the blanket and food. “Come on, I’m hungry.”

Yakov sighed a third time, but it was more amused than begrudging. “Did you two at least try to make anything new this time?”

“We’ve got katsudon,” he answered, “Katsudon wouldn’t let us have the recipe, so he made it himself. He said it’ll probably taste decent. We bought cake too.”

“I thought I said to bring healthy food!”

“Nope, I don’t remember that being one of the rules.”

 

##  **XXVII.**

Yuri was in charge of buying groceries that week, and from the looks of Victor’s last-minute additions, Katsudon would be staying over. Too bad there wasn’t a card that made people quiet; he would need it tonight.

“These panko crumbs better mean what I think they mean,” he mused, throwing the item into his  shopping cart.

Pyocha slinked out from Yuri’s hood to look over his shoulder. “At the rate you’re going, the kitchen will be stocked for the rest of the month.”

Yuri withheld a screech, and pushed the cat back into hiding. “You said you’d be quiet, you little shit!” he hissed. “Cats aren’t allowed here.”

“I wouldn’t have to do this if you let me out once in a while!”

Pyocha, in an act of feline rebellion, demanded he come with Yuri to the grocery store. As comfortable as he was in his role as the Plisetsky/Nikiforov-Feltsman’s house cat, he was getting tired of being confined to place with only Makkachin for company. He stowed away in his hoodie to bask in the sunlight with the promise to keep his mouth shut. A promise he was violating now.

“Just stay in the hood and keep your mouth shut,” he said. “... and tell me you see any deals on junk food. Our stash is running low.”

He was double checking the list when multiple crashes and a scream from the end of the aisle caught his attention. Curious, he followed the source of the noise. There, he found the ruins of a soup can pyramid and harried shoppers and employees alike scrambling for rolling cans. Old Hag Matsudaira, one of the snooty playground moms from long ago, rounded on him with her hawk eyes and dry toad frown. It would be far more intimidating if she weren’t a head shorter than Yuri.

She poked a wrinkled finger against his chest “You have some nerve just standing there, you hooligan! Pick them all up  and apologize for the trouble you’re causing.”

He sneered. The old bitch caught him stuffing worms into her baby boy’s (i.e: the empty-headed playground bully) pants once when they were twelve, and had it in for him since. She blamed him from every misfortune that came upon her little idiot all through elementary, and actively petitioned for him to be expelled for his behavior (even though he was only responsible for about half of it.). When she failed at that, the hag embarrassed him at every opportunity; it was getting annoying.

He opened his mouth to yell his customary obscene response to her bullshit, but stopped short when he took in everyone else’s reactions to the scene. Over the years, the sight of him and Matsudaira duking it out became less of a spectacle and more of a funny background event. People normally just shook their head at their petty spat and gave them a wide berth. This time, however, they were openly casting wary looks at Yuri. As if they believed he was responsible for the tin can landslide.

Oh, screw it! It was too early for this shit. He rolled his eyes, and pushed past the wrinkled banshee to reassemble the goddamn soup display. He ignored Pyocha’s curious meows and her smug look all the while. For all his trouble, he got a warning from the grocery store manager and cautious looks from the other shoppers.

Katsudon’s cooking better be worth his shitty shopping trip.

 

* * *

 

 

He returned to find Victor and Katsudon working over several pieces of paper. By the looks of the neat stack of projects on the latter’s side of the table and the horribly misshapen heap on the former’s, they were doing origami.

Victor smiled, noticing his brother’s arrival. “Yuuri’s teaching me how to make roses~”

He had to wonder why everyone put university students to such high esteem. If his brother was any indication, they spent more time being children than all the real life shit their teachers warned them about.

Victor took in his unimpressed frown and pouted. “We’re allowed to enjoy things too, you know. It’s not all studying.”

“Aren’t you both working on fancy ass degrees? Doesn’t that require effort?”

“Please Yurio,” he scoffed, waving a creased square of sparkling paper toward him, “Yuuri and I are more than capable of getting outstanding grades. Isn’t that right?”

Katsudon, far too focused on his little paper masterpiece, jumped at the sound of his name. He turned from Victor to Yuri and flushed. Victor’s pout intensified; Yuri just laughed. The demon poodle joined in on the fun by launching herself at the old man, cutting off his unnecessarily dramatic monologue before he started. A canine belly rub and consoling head pats later, and Katsudon tucked a blue paper rose behind Victor’s ear.

“I’m sorry about not listening,” he said, “I wanted it to look just right.”

Victor’s schoolgirl sigh alerted Yuri that he’d long faded into their glittering lovey dovey background, and he made the executive decision to slink back out the hall to help Pyocha put away the rest of his purchases.

 

* * *

 

 

A cautious frown from Guang Hong was his greeting when he arrived to class the next morning. While the freckled boy was a known worrier, the expression made him raise an inquiring brow.

“Yurio,” he began, refusing to meet his eyes, “Were you at the bakery yesterday?”

He shook his head. Weirdly enough, they rarely shopped at the local bakery. They preferred rice to bread, and often made their own pastries from scratch.

“Spent a good part of the morning at the supermarket being bitched at by old hag Matsudaira. Then I came to home to my brother flirting with his not-boyfriend, and making sure they didn’t burn the house down.”

Guang Hong sighed, shoulders sagging in relief. “Oh thank goodness. I knew I had the wrong person.” Seeing Yuri’s perplexed frown, he added, “Someone knocked over the chocolate fountain at the bakery. It made a huge mess, and they had to close for the afternoon to clean it up.”

He slumped in his seat. “Ugh, that asshole must be the one who demolished Mount Soup Can yesterday! Fuck him.”

 

* * *

 

 

The thought of some lookalike getting him in trouble irked Yuri more than he’d like to admit. It was once thing for half the city to think he was some no-good punk, another thing to actually be blamed for property damage. He’d have to get to the bottom of it soon.

“Yurio!” Chulanont’s voice broke him out of his reverie.

The photography club president frowned at him over a pile of paperwork. They’d been working in silence for the better part of an hour, the rest of the club off to capturing nature or whatever. From this seat by the window, he could spot Otabek hanging upside down from a branch trying to get a good angle of a shrub.

“Yurio, work with me here.”

“Fuck, sorry. What do you want?”

Chulanont’s eyebrows shot past his fringe. “Okay, the fact that you just apologized must mean you’re in a worse mood than I thought.” He pushed aside their paper mountain, and began typing on his phone. “Screw this, club ends early today. I’m taking you out for pie.”

“Pie?”

“You’re upset. Pie is happy food. Come on, pack up!”

 

* * *

 

 

They got pie at Yuri’s favorite cafe. He’d stopped being surprised at Chulanont’s vast knowledge of his and everyone’s personal life long ago, and went straight to the matter at hand.

“You got anything on old doppelganger?”

Chulanont set his glass of iced tea down and frowned. “Nothing. All I’ve got is that he looks remarkably similar and has been messing with the shops. It could be anything from a rumor blown out of proportion to someone with a grudge against you causing trouble.”

At his groan, Chulanont smiled. “As bad as you think this is, no one important is actually going to believe that you did it.”

“Guang Hong did.”

“No, he didn’t. He thought it was you, and believed you immediately when you said you weren’t in the area.”

“Fat lot of good that does if it happens again.”

Chulanont leaned over to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. “People see you better than you think they do, you know? At least, the ones that matter.”

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure. Thanks.”

He pouted, cheeks puffing like his trio of hamsters. “You don’t believe me, do you? Oh, I know! We’ll do the thing!”

“The thing?”

“The thing,” he nodded. “You’re calling me Phichit now.”

“Hah?”

“Call me by my first name, it’s an important hallmark of a relationship upgrade into actual friends rather than blackmailing upperclassman and angry magical boy.”

“So you admit to blackmailing me.”

“Not even a little,” he chirped. “Go on, say it. Say my name and establish our friendship, so I can beat your ass for thinking of yourself so lowly. If I got to Yuuri, I’ll get to you too!”

That got a chuckle out of him, one Chulanont was happy to copy. He took in the sight of the third year, his secret keeper, overzealous costume designer, and friend leaning forward expectantly. Yuri smiled.

“Thanks, Phichit.”

A shrill cry interrupted their moment. Yuri and Phichit turned toward the source of the noise and gasped. A person ran past them, one wearing the Seijo High uniform. His unbuttoned blazer and tie trailed in his wake, cheetah-print backpack bouncing behind him.

Blonde hair, green eyes, a smirk.

Yuri stared at an exact replica of himself.

 

##  **XXVIII.**

“A doppelganger?” Pyocha asked once he finished relaying that afternoon’s events to him.

Yuri nodded. “He’s messing up storefronts and being an ass, according to Minami. Guang Hong and Leo saw him do the same yesterday at the shopping district. Thank god Phichit was there, or I’d be on a wanted list somewhere.”

The cat chuckled, “I doubt light vandalism will warrant arrest.” His face hardened before saying, “That sounds like a card to me, but I can’t recall which one for the life of me.”

Yuri peered at him warily, “Should I be worried about these weird memory gaps? You only ever seem to give me new information when the situation needs it.”

“I don’t need your sass right now,” he deadpanned. “Quick, bring your cards out. It’s time to teach you fortune telling.”

He had enough cards for a simple reading, Pyocha explained. He shuffled all thirteen lightly, taking five at random and arranging them according to the guardian beast’s instructions. One mystical incantation and an ominous breeze later, and Yuri flipped the topmost card over as ordered.

“Windy,” Pyocha cringed. “The card of information. It stayed with you for a reason, it seems. It’s been communicating with the others.” At Yuri’s perplexed frown, he elaborated. “Remember how Sword targeted Guang Hong to get to you?”

“That was just a coincidence, wasn’t it? Anyone could have bought that thing. Heck, I would have.”

“Instead, it caught your friend’s attention, one with fighting experience. One you couldn’t fight directly.” He sighed, “Yuri, here’s something you need to know about magic. Things like this don’t happen by chance. The fact that every card that came after Sword awakened right where you were isn’t a coincidence.”

“So they know about me,” he frowned, the realization dawning on him. Each card after Sword came closer to their intended target. The last one managed to identify Phichit and bring him into this. Pyocha once warned him that the more dangerous card were yet to appear.

Yuri wasn’t sure he’d be able to quell the threat as easily as he had before.

Pyocha refocused their attention on the reading before the atmosphere grew darker. He pointed at the row of cards positioned below Windy. “Flip those three over; they’re all associated with your doppleganger.”

Ilusion, Watery, and Shadow. The cat scowled, sitting on his backside and pounding his temples insistently. Yuri wondered if Windy was also behind Pyocha’s memory failing him.

“Release your staff,” he said, handing him the last facedown Clow Card, “and call this one out.”

Yuri wondered just how helpful it would be in a situation like this. Nevertheless, he did as he was told.

The Flower appeared in a swirl of cherry blossoms. With an uncertain look, a striking contrast to the playful expression Yuri had last seen on her face, she waved an elegant hand in his direction. She bowed remorsefully before returning to her dormant form, leaving the telltale weight of a flower crown around his head.

“What?” he said, seeing the stricken look on Pyocha’s face.

“The last card tells us about the present danger,” he began. “This card’s ultimate target is you, of course, but to get to you, it lured someone in first. Flower just gave us a clue of who.”

Slowly, warily, Yuri raised a hand to see what Flower left behind for him. He swore.

Clutched in his shaking grasp was a crown of blue roses.

 

##  **XXIX.**

Victor grazed his hand on a particularly sharp shrub and hissed. A few feet away, a blond boy raised a brow.

“Walk it off, old man. It should be there somewhere.”

He had to hand it to him, Yurio’s doppelganger was doing a good job of copying his mannerisms - insults and all. If only it knew better than to think that his little brother would willingly ask Victor for help. He was getting better at it, but he wasn’t quite there yet.

“What did you lose anyway?” he asked, walking farther into the dense foliage. He noticed that the blond made no move to follow.

“Just keep walking.”

He did so against his better judgement. Unlike Yurio, he stood a slim chance of fighting this doppelganger off. While he was a good half foot taller than a gangly teenager, he didn’t know what it was capable of. He didn’t understand what was going on exactly, but he knew the best option was to go along with it.

“A little farther.”

The blond repeated himself several more times across the next few feet, and Victor swallowed the dread growing in the pit of his stomach. Then he realized, the ground was pitching downward. Almost as if-

“Ah!”

He was thankful he’d been taking smaller steps. Else, he wouldn’t have been close enough to scramble for the sturdy rock protruding from the cliff he’d just fallen from. But both this single-handed grip and gravity were playing against him now. Trying to breathe through the frantic pounding in his chest, he lifted his right arm to reach for steady his hold and hopefully manage to pull himself back up.

Blond hair and green eyes appeared in his line of sight, and he swallowed.

He didn’t even register the pain when fake Yurio stomped on his fingers. Rather his gaze turned to the ground below. He wouldn’t die from the fall; he wouldn’t even get serious injuries.

But god, it would hurt.

 

* * *

 

 

It did hurt, quite a lot in fact. If the sharp pain in his left leg was any indication, he’d have to be in a cast for some time. Other than a few cuts and scratches, however, he seemed relatively fine. Victor struggled to breathe deeply through the pain. He knew his ribs were fine, but god, he really should have found another way to handle this. He could’ve avoided this, really, he really could have.

He looked up when a familiar presence inched closer to him. Yurio’s doppelganger frowned as he walked closer. Victor smiled.

“Does this mean you aren’t actually looking for anything?” With wide eyes, fake Yurio shook his head.

“Then can you at least take on a form that doesn’t look like my little brother,” he exhaled, “If anyone sees us, they’re gonna think that little dork is a punk for real.”

“How did you know I wasn’t him?” he asked, voice small and uncertain.

He smiled, and hoped he still looked somewhat reassuring, “I’m smarter than I look.”

Dark spots were bleeding into his vision. He hoped Yurio would hurry and find him soon. Hopefully, he’d think calmly enough to ask that Otabek kid for help.

Yuri’s copy broke the silence. “Why did you follow me if you knew I wasn’t your brother?”

He shrugged, his shoulder stung at the motion. “I couldn’t let you lure one of Yurio’s little friends, could I?”

The blond shot him a thoughtful look in return, and offered nothing else. Victor took that as a sign to continue.

“Well, I’m sturdy as they can get, so it’s alright,” he said, then a petulant pout wormed its way to his face. “You could’ve at least trapped me instead of leading me off a cliff,” he joked. “He’d come for me regardless.”

Victor lay back against incline, his vision starting to blur. He’d likely be unconscious for the rest of this. Too bad; he was hoping to see Yurio in action for once.

 

##  **XXX.**

Yuri cursed for the thousandth time as he was redirected to voicemail. It wasn’t like Victor to miss a call; this was the man who climbed the roof of their summerhouse for signal. He wouldn’t ignore his phone unless he was otherwise occupied.

Yuri clicked the call button again, and clenched his fist against curly brown fur. The poodle padded into his room some time during his Clow Card reading, and made her presence known by nosing Yuri’s shaking hand. She hasn’t stopped nuzzling him since.

He bent toward her and wrapped his arms around the whining poodle. “He’ll be alright, Makka,” he assured. “Wherever the fuck he is, he’s safe and I’ll find him.”

She licked him once before turning her attention to his desk, where Pyocha had a severe-sounding Phichit on the phone. They parted ways after running into the doppelganger, the upperclassman searching for Otabek to aid them. When Yuri calmed down enough to sort his thoughts out, he’d ordered Pyocha to call them while he called Victor.

Rather than relay the message like some overworked owl, Pyocha put his phone on speaker and drew close. Phichit’s voice blared from the speaker.

“I called Yuuri, and he said Victor left work early today. He hasn’t been answering his calls either.” Victor once joked that the only way he’d ignore a call from Yuuri Katsuki would be if the afterlife didn’t allow phones. Yuri didn’t find any solace in the thought. Thankfully, Phichit had more to say. “I tracked his phone to the side of the road. It leads to a forest and another cliff, but don’t worry! Otabek has a plan.”

He breathed a sigh of relief, pulling both Pyocha and Makkachin to his chest. “I’ll meet you in five.”

 

* * *

 

 

The Rashinban led them to the bottom of a cliff. There, Yuri found the thrice damned Clow Card leaning over his unconscious brother. Ignoring the perfectly functional staff and card under his control, he picked up a sharp pebble.

“Get away from him!” he hurled the projectile for the doppelganger’s head, scowling when it only grazed the side, but the card relented and slowly backed away from Victor’s prone form, making room for Phichit and Otabek to assess his condition.

“He’s breathing,” Phichit said. “Just passed out.”

Otabek’s eyes roamed, “His leg looks the worst off. He’s relatively okay otherwise.” He nodded toward Yuri, his gaze intense. “We’ll get him out of here.”

His double made no move to stop them, watching impassively as his friends looped his brother’s arms over their shoulders and made their slow escape. Katsudon was on his way, Phichit told him. He would help them get Victor medical attention.

Yuri nodded, focusing his attention on his frowning double. He growled, “You think you can get away with this, you shit? Think again. Windy!”

The summoned card swooped out of his staff and launched her translucent body in a swift attack. What should have been a gust of air that sliced all in its path passed through the blond completely, leaving him unscathed. His double continued to frown. He grit his teeth and called another attack.

Watery. Thunder. Wood. Windy again.

Nothing. His strongest attacks just passed through it like nothing. Yuri’s rage boiled over.

“Shadow!” he cried, its hooded visage appearing for a moment before melting into the ground. It circled around the other blond’s feet, securing him to the spot. He summoned Sword without hesitation.

Pyocha held him back before he could make his move. He struggled against his unusually strong hold. “Yuri, no! If it’s immune to the elementals, it’ll be immune to a physical attack too.”

“Then what’s the point of this fucking card then?” he yelled, a hysterical hint to his voice.

“Yuri,” he begged. “Please.”

He fumed in silence, mind racing in his anger but slowly giving in to Pyocha’s imploring tone. He could be angry later, when the card was caught and he was certain Victor wasn’t in danger anymore. He eventually felt the group on his collar disappear, and the concerned face of a winged cat invaded his vision.

“Think of the three cards from our reading,” he instructed. “The only way you can seal a card like this one is to know its name.”

_Its name? Well then…_

“Yuri, what?” Pyocha gasped as he stepped around him and advanced toward his double. The card made no move as he approached, simply watching him.

When Yuri closed off the distance, them now standing face to face, it said, “You’re his real brother then?”

Yuri ignored the remorse coloring his tone. “Fuck yeah, I am you-”

His planned string of expletives ended prematurely as the figure closed its eyes and took a step forward. A perplexed hum came from the back of Yuri’s throat.

“Look at me,” the doppelganger instructed. And he did.

His face was set in a determined glare, one typically on Yuri’s own when he was extra pumped up or if he were arguing with JJ Leroy. His shoulders were squared tightly, turned marginally to his non-dominant side. His both arms were tense at his sides, the right ending in a clenched, shaking fist and the left raised to his chest, hand looping around an invisible rod.  He stood with his left leg bent in front of him, his back leg straight and foot pointed to the side. It was a nearly perfect imitation of Yuri’s own stance, but in reverse.

The card moved when he did, raising an arm or leg along with Yuri, but on the opposite side like he was looking in a…

_Oh._

Ilusion, Watery, and Shadow. The three cards made sense now.

“Mirror,” he whispered, and the effect was instantaneous. Replacing a guilty-looking Yuri was a long-haired woman in a white kimono. Clutched in her sleeved hands was a circular mirror, framed in gold. She opened her wet eyes, revealing much lighter green irises. She looked on his despair.

Yuri sealed it without hesitation. The card plopped into his hand and he pulled his phone out of his pocket to get an update from Katsudon. He looked dispassionately at the image of The Mirror on the card as he waited for the call to go through.

 

* * *

 

 

Victor attempted to shift into a more comfortable position and winced. Yuri reddened and screeched at him to take it easy. His brother just laughed.

“I can handle a little pain, you know? I’m not made of glass.”

“You have to keep that stupid thing on for three weeks, and I’m not being your indentured servant for any longer than I need to.” He crossed his arms and pouted to the side, “You should be glad it wasn’t anything worse like a break, you reckless piece of shit!”

Victor chuckled good-naturedly, having the decency to look sheepish as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m tougher than I look, I suppose. I was lucky to land on something a little softer.”

“You’re stupider than you look, and that’s saying something,” Yuri muttered.

“Aw come on,” he whined, giving Yuri his best impression of Makkachin. “I said I was sorry for worrying you. Can’t you give me a break? I’m an ailing man.”

Yuri rolled his eyes. “The only ailment you have is in the head.”

“Rude, Yuri!” he admonished. “You’re belittling a serious problem.”

“Ugh, fine. I’m sorry too,” he said, exasperated, letting out a smidge of genuine remorse. He then jabbed his index finger to the center of his billboard forehead and grunted, his other hand resting on his hip. “You stay there and fucking behave. Yakov wasn’t bluffing when he said he’d strap you to the bed if you aggravate your injuries. Even Makkachin holed herself up in here to babysit you.”

From her place on Victor’s side, Makkachin woofed in attention, sitting tall in salute. Victor pouted and whined at his daughter’s betrayal, but it was cut short at the sound of their doorbell ringing.

It was Katsudon, ladened with an messenger bag fit to burst. His squared shoulders and determined gaze making no room for resistance as he stormed inside and made his way up to Victor’s room. His worried screeching echoed across the hallways, and Yuri laughed.

Deeming his shift as Victor’s caretaker over for now, he holed himself up in his own room, where Pyocha sat surrounded by floating Clow Cards. They’d been doing that a lot lately, since Yuri’s magic “levelled up” somewhat over the past few weeks. Each of the glittering pieces of hard paper made the habit of popping out of their book and occasionally scaring the shit out of him.

All but one.

Yuri peered into the open drawer, where The Mirror lay, doing its best not to bother Yuri with its magical presence. Pyocha explained that it was Mirror’s way of repenting for what happened. He sighed.

“What?” he said to the card, making Pyocha jump slightly at his suddenness. “You’re not gonna annoy me too? The others don’t seem to have a problem with it.”

He refused to meet Pyocha’s proud gaze when the cat realized what he was doing. From the corner of his eye, he watched as the once dull card sprang to life, glittering shyly and floating up from the Clow Book. Mirror flew up to his eye level, fidgeting in its place. He prodded it with two fingers, making it float toward the shimmering group around their guardian.

He would be pissed for a long time, but he supposed he couldn’t be an ass to _Mirror_ forever. 


	4. Chapter 4

##  **XXXI.**

When Clow created Agape, she blessed him with a majestic feline form worthy of the title Guardian Beast. Unfortunately, that form - and the powers that came with it - required the combined powers of Firey and Earthy cards to appear. With both still running wild somewhere in Tomoeda, (temporarily renamed) Pyocha was stuck looking like a pitiful house cat. And a winged kitten couldn’t exactly intimidate an edgy teenager.

“I said, no!” Yuri yelled, hastily stuffing books into his backpack. Once again, the boy left his schoolwork for the last minute and spent far too little time cramming a weekend’s worth of work in the early hours of the morning. “I’m not taking you with me. It’s bad enough you’ve managed to sneak in the last few times. As fun as it is to watch Park-sensei’s allergies in action, she’s already got her eyes on me.”

“She’d cut you a break if you weren’t so rude.”

He scoffed, “There are better odds of me being nice to Victor.” Slinging a strap over his shoulder, he turned with with a frown. “You’re staying here. Phichit gave you a phone; I’ll call if anything happens.”

He stormed out the door, barely dodging an excited Makkachin, who’d been tasked with calling him for breakfast. Pausing briefly, Yuri poked his head back into the room and hissed, “And remember that the old man is still on house arrest. Katsudon’s here to keep him in check.”

Pyocha allowed himself a smile.

They all been tense at the aftermath of the Mirror incident the previous month; while Victor seemed none worse for wear, they didn’t know for sure until he got medical attention. He was fine other than his sprained leg, some shallow cuts and bruises, and having no memory of what happened. One cast and several reprimands from everyone from Yakov to Makkachin, and Yuri’s brother still couldn’t step out without being on the other end of a cluster of pointed looks. The only reason why the twenty two year-old hadn’t thrown a Yuri-like fit was because his not-boyfriend had been spending more time at their home than his own apartment.

Pointing a reprimanding finger at him, Yuri ordered, “You stay here and be a good magical cat.”

With that, he shut the door and left Pyocha to pout. Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait long before the door was nudged open by a head of curly, brown fur.

He smiled. “I can always count on you, Makka!”

The poodle boofed, preening at the praise. She padded over to the foot of Yuri’s bed, ready for Pyocha to take his regular place on her back. He and the poodle forged a solid friendship over the past few months. Makkachin had no issues sharing her home an family with the new pet. They enjoyed each other’s company during the afternoon lull. It helped immensely that Pyocha could open fridges and turn on televisions.

Without further delay, he bounced over and clung to her back. With a cheerful bark, she bolted down the stairs and into the dining room. There Victor and Yuuri picked at the remnants of their breakfast. The former looked on with his distinct heart-shaped smile at the sight of them.

“Aren’t they precious, Yuuri?” he cooed. “Our precious girl gives Pyocha a ride every morning.”

Yuuri smiled along with him, obviously adoring the sight. He’d been staying over at the Plisetsky/Nikiforov-Feltsman home more often these days. Victor explained it was to study, which they did often enough, but they spend just as much time living in blissful domesticity as well.

Victor took their empty plates, and sauntered to the sink with a playful wink. His cast had long since been removed. “Think you could entertain them while I get their f-o-o-d?”

Pyocha withheld a snort. Did he really think neither he nor Makka understood him when he spoke like that?

 

* * *

 

 

The four of them indulged themselves with a post-breakfast cuddle pile on the couch, Pyocha happily nuzzling against Yuuri from his position at the crook of his neck. In turn, the raven stroked his fur with a gentle hand.

“Isn’t he the sweetest?” Victor crooned. “Yakov wasn’t too sure about letting Yurio take a cat home, but he gave in soon enough when he realized he was especially behaved.”

Yuuri laughed, “I don’t think Yurio would take in any ordinary cat. It takes one like Pyocha to soften him up.”

A snort, “My baby brother has always been a sweet thing, Yuuri. He’s just prickly.”

“I know,” he smiled. “I’m just glad he can be more open about it with Pyocha.”

Makkachin made her agreement known with a woof and lazy wave of her tail.

 

* * *

 

 

They stayed on the couch, soft and happy, until Makkachin demanded to be let outside to play. Victor and Yuuri were only too happy to comply. The dog was thrilled to know she would be strolling around town rather than their backyard. When they were finally out of sight, he swung the large window open and basked in the cool breeze and sunlight.

Some time later, he’d gotten a video call from Yuri, and by the look of things, they were in the middle of lunch.

“Fuck, Chulanont!” Yuri’s sneered, his image had a hint of graininess on the screen. “Keep that fork away from my lunch or so help me!”

“I can’t help it!”

“Otabek, make him stop!”

“...”

“Don’t thumbs up at me, you ass!”

Pyocha laughed. Despite Yuri’s insistence of leaving him at home, he never failed to check up on him while he was away. It would usually be a passive-aggressive text of some kind, one the feline would respond to with his own choice words and such, but he always made sure to call when they parted with more tension than usual.

Victor was right, Yuri was a sweet thing.

 

 

##  **XXXII.**

They were getting a substitute teacher today. Because it wasn’t like ghost sightings, disappearance scares, and a transfer student were enough action for the term. Their old math teacher was on maternity leave, and the system surrendered his class to some chump with a shiny, new license. Meh, at least she didn’t look like some the straight-laced crone he originally expected the substitute would be. With her dyed blonde tips, more comfortable than stuffy business casual wardrobe, and utterly unimpressed expression on her face as she scanned their class, she didn’t seem to be the type to bore them with her life like some teachers.

“Call me Mari-sensei, I guess,” she drawled, wiping her name off the chalkboard. “Last names are stupid, and I’m not going to remember yours anyway. Expect a nickname by the end of the week.” She waved dismissively before scanning their syllabus and groaning. “Man, we’re in for a lot of shit.”

He liked her already.

 

* * *

 

 

In the few months he’d known Otabek, Yuri had always pegged him for the calm and collected sort. He mostly fit the image, with this perpetually stoic face and clipped answers, but his friend had come to breaking character with increasing frequency. Yuri would have found these moments amusing if not for the fact that he usually bore the burden of calming him down, a nigh impossible task. If Otabek’s heated glare was any indication, their journey home would be a long one.

“Nothing?” he asked, almost twitching with frustration.

“Nope."

“Not even a little?’

“What do you have against Mari-sensei?”

“You’re actually calling her Mari-sensei?”

He shrugged, “She’s a teacher.”

“Park-sensei is a teacher.”

“She’s a bitch with no taste, that’s what she is!” he scoffed. She actually had balls to flunk him on his paper about the South China Tiger. (“Plisetsky, you were supposed to discuss a Chinese ethnic group.” “How the fuck do the tigers not count?”)

Much to his chagrin, Otabek dodged the kick he aimed for his shin with relative ease. Stupid martial arts training. “Shut the fuck up and tell me what’s wrong with her.”

“Everything!” Otabek hissed, abandoning his usual demeanor and gesticulating wildly. “There’s something unnerving about her. She… she feels weird!”

He’d been in a state all afternoon, constantly looking behind his back like a threatened animal. In the span of three hours, he burned his fingers in home economics, knocked over every hurdle in gym, and forgot that people didn’t normally exit rooms by leaping through the window. Odagaki didn’t know whether to scold him or be baffled by the feat.

“You seriously have nothing?” he pressed, exhaling into his regular stoic coolness.

He shook his head, but considered Otabek’s concern nonetheless. If he got something weird off her, then it must mean something. Between them, he was the more experienced sorcerer.

Speaking of sorcery.

“ _Fuck!_ ” his screech so loud that Otabek froze and a flock of birds launched themselves away from a nearby tree. From the way his friend was surveying their surroundings, Otabek must have assumed Yuri felt a card somewhere. He hadn’t.

“Sorry,” he muttered, holding up a hand. “My idiot of a brother wanted me to stop by the shrine for an omamori.”

That morning, Victor came across an article about the lucky charms during his ritual morning scroll of social media. A quick scan later had him bouncing around the house, demanding for one immediately like the petulant child he was. Yakov was spared from his rampage by virtue of leaving home before the mess began, thus leaving Yuri to bear all the pain himself. He could have easily purchased one for himself tomorrow, but no, he needed one today.

“And he couldn’t get one himself because..?”

“Work,” he growled. “He had class all day and is taking two shifts at the convenience store.”

“I thought the worked at that cafe.”

“Yeah, well the board in the dining room said convenience store. So I guess he switched again.”

“How many jobs does Victor have?”

He tsked, “As many as Katsudon.”

“How-”

“Don’t ask me,” he grumbled. “Just don’t. I don’t know.”

They walked in comfortable silence, Otabek missing the turn to his apartment in favor of accompanying him to the shrine. He was a great friend.

“I forget,” Otabek said as the shrine’s red gates became visible in the distance. “What kind of omamori did Victor want so badly?”

Yuri groaned, cringing in disgust “One for love.”

 

* * *

 

Tsukimine Shrine was every bit as creepy as Yuri remembered. It was fine during festivals and the New Year, but it always put him on edge on regular days. No monk or shrine maiden in sight, no sound of tolling bells; just him, Otabek, and the eerie stillness of the area. It was more oppressing than it had been the last time he visited, but he blamed it on the late hour. Fucking Phichit and his presentation on how to give a presentation.

Yuri squared his shoulders and advanced… five steps before he realized he didn’t know what the protocol for buying an omamori was. Otabek took in his abrupt halt with a snicker.

“There’s a stall over there,” he pointed to the empty stall. He noticed the little bell off to the side. “Maybe someone will come if we ring it.”

Yuri did just that.

And in a swirl of color, they found themselves surrounded by tall, green walls that wound in incomprehensible patterns.

 

##  **XXXIII.**

Yuri could have sworn they were just standing in front of an omamori stall, but the world was against him, he supposed.

“A Clow Card then,” he said, not really asking.

Otabek nodded, “The Maze, mostly likely.” He shot Yuri a look when the blond snorted. “We have to find our way out to seal it.”

Yuri chose not to hear him, and summoned sword to cut the quickest path out of there. He wasn’t in the mood for one of the card’s complicated ass capturing methods. No, he was getting out, getting the omamori, and getting this all over with. With several slices, peppered with his own brand of Plisetsky flair, he ripped at the walls apart and created his own exit.

Otabek released an exasperated breath, “That’s not going to work.”

He was right, of course. A quick tremble was his only warning before the walls patched themselves up in an instant. The sword in his grasp glowed for a moment before becoming the bird-headed staff once more, The Sword returning to its dormant form.

“Alright, now-”

Yuri ignored him again in favor of summoning Fly. Wasting no time, he hopped on the rod and soared. The walls twitched as he drew near to the top and elongated, growing higher as Yuri flew. He cursed up a storm.

Fluttering back to the ground, where a ticked off Otabek leaned against the Card with his arms crossed, he pouted.

“Are you ready to listen now?” he offered.

“Fuck that,” he countered. “Bring the raisin bran out.”

Otabek raised an incredulous brow, “Do you mean the  _Rashinban_?”

“Yeah, yeah. Your extra, magic compass thing. Just do the fancy chanting and light show, and get us out of here.”

“It’s not going to-”

“Do. The. Thing.” he growled, “I’m hungry.”

Otabek sighed deeply before doing as Yuri ordered. But the two balls of white light met in the center of the board, there was no green laser. Instead, it built up over the Tao symbol in a dome.

“You know that this thing was made to search for Clow Cards, right?” he said, eyes narrowing in his frustration. “Since we’re in The Maze, it’s not going to lead us anywhere.”

He growled, and shoved his hand into his pocket and yanked his phone out. With more force than necessary, he called Pyocha. Maybe the cat would have something up his non-existent sleeves to help them get out. When the automated voice informed him that he was out of network coverage, he yelled, throwing both arms up in irritated surrender. “Fucking fine! We’ll do it your way!”

Otabek’s face never looked so smug.

 

* * *

 

 

They walked aimlessly for fifteen minutes before Yuri spoke up, his expression a perfect imitation of Otabek’s from earlier. “So, how’s that hand-to-wall thing working out for you?”

“Kiss my ass, Plisetsky. Like your ideas were so brilliant.”

Yuri’s stomach grumbled audibly, disrupting his intended come back. Heat rose to his cheeks unwillingly as Otabek snickered at his embarrassment.

“Bite me, motherfucker,” he growled.

Both were jolted from the calm atmosphere, however, by an overwhelming air of magic and an echoing chime. They stood in attention, holding their respective weapons in front of them. They braced for a attack as the shadow of a figure appeared on the edge of a path. A shrine maiden appeared, her two-toned hair a stark contrast from her red and white hakama.

“Mari-sensei?”

She held a bronze bell in one hand, one resembling a crescent moon, its handle wrapped in violet ribbons that trailed along the floor. She swung it once, confirming that it was the object they heard a while ago. "It's just Mari when we're out of school. It makes me sound old."

Without batting an eye, she asked, “That bell by the stand did this, huh?” She sighed when they nodded. “I knew it was trouble.”

“What are you doing here?” Otabek hissed, standing in front of Yuri like some valiant knight. Sucks for him, though, since Yuri was no useless damsel. He stepped around his friend’s outstretched hand repeated his question with far less bite in his tone.

“I work here too, as a favor for a family friend” she said simply. She looked over their shoulders at the far wall and sauntered toward it. “Now let’s get out of here.”

Before either boy could ask her just how she planned on doing that, she tapped her bell to the green structure lightly. The wall and the several others standing after it crumbled to dust.

“Come on,” she called, “We haven’t got all night.”

 

* * *

 

 

Yuri and Otabek were in trapped for an indiscernible amount of time, walking aimlessly all the while. Mari-sensei’s magic (it couldn’t have been anything but magic) bell bust them out in five minutes. The maze ended where they began - at the omamori stand. When they finally reached the exit, both Yuri and Otabek running as fast as their legs would take them and their teacher strolling behind, the maze swirled and warped before their eyes.

“Quick, seal it!” Otabek ordered. “Turn it back into a card before it traps us again.”

Yuri looked to a stoic Mari-sensei, uncertain about whether he could reveal his powers to her. As if reading his mind, she rolled her eyes and sauntered over behind a tree. “Screw this, I need to smoke.”

With Otabek’s incredulous face watching over him, Yuri returned The Maze to its true form with a swift sparkling tap. Mari-sensei reappeared as the card swooped into his outstretched hand.

 

* * *

 

 

It was just their luck that Victor and Katsudon arrived before he and Otabek could shake information out of Mari-sensei. His brother bounced over and trapped him in a crushing embrace. He babbled apologies and the most outrageous reasons for why he thought the blonde had taken so long to come home.

“Cut it out!” he screeched, a slight whine to his voice. He pried himself away from his grasp and smoothed his rumpled clothing in irritation. “No, I didn’t get abducted by aliens and forced to join some musical resistance group. I came to get your sickening love omamori and got sidetracked.”

“Love omamori?” Katsudon squeaked, cheeks pinking.

Yuri shot them a look, repulsed by their coyness. It wasn’t like their afternoon couch cuddles were a secret.

“Ah, that’s what you stopped by for then?” Mari-sensei spoke, laying the ornamental bell gingerly on the stand counter. She rifled through the display and placed a red and white charm with an odd gold design in Katsudon’s hand.

Katsudon flushed such an intense scarlet at the sight of the charm that Yuri thought his insides spontaneously combusted. And he responded in the most unlikely manner.

“ _What the heck Mari?!_ ”

Their teacher chortled. “What?” question laced in faux innocence, “You’re telling me this isn’t what your lover boy means by a love omamori?”

Upon closer look, it seemed the charm cradled in Katsudon’s hand was one for sexual health. Victor made a noise like a deflating bounce house, and Yuri laughed. They were treated to the sight of the normally passive Katsudon and their teacher getting into a vicious verbal argument intermingled with a few rough shoves. Victor stood between them, half-amused and half-flustered.

Otabek sighed wistfully, making his presence known for the first time since Maze was captured. “I wish my sisters were that easy to argue with.”

“Sister?”

He shot him a disbelieving look. “You didn’t hear her last name this morning, did you?” Yuri shook his head, confused. “It’s Katsuki, you moron.”

 

* * *

 

 

After introductions were made, embarrassment was shared, and explanations were avoided, they parted ways and returned to their respective homes. Yuuri returned to his apartment, horrible sister in tow, to find Phichit lounging on his bed. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t need to relay much of what happened. Instead, they hung out by the dinner table while Mari set dinner up and discussed Yurio’s little surprise.

“He seriously didn’t know?” Phichit guffawed, wiping tears from his eyes.

“He ignored what his homeroom teacher wrote on the board,” he said, “and Mari’s too edgy to be called by her surname.”

“I can see that,” he mused, likely flashing back to his previous interactions with Yuuri’s sister. “Between you two, you’re the one who fits Katsuki-sama more.”

“Phichit!”

“I’m right here, you know,” Mari said, giving them a dark glare. “After all the work I put into making dinner for you.”

“You heated up my leftovers, you disaster.”

She snorted, “I’m not the one who needs an omamori to get some action.”

He banged his hands on the table repeatedly, “I told you that Victor wanted it!”

“Oh?” Phichit sang, “You’re playing hard to get, Yuuri?”

“Enough!” he yelled.

God, when his mom called to say Mari would be coming to Tomoeda, he didn’t expect this much frustration. His heart went out to Yurio; older siblings were the worst.

 

##  **XXXIV.**

The week prior had Yuri facing the largest dilemma of his life: getting Victor a birthday present.

Yuri knew that, for all of Victor’s outward shallowness, his brother would rather have a day in with his poodle and a hot cup of tea than some expensive thing to decorate himself with. Heaven knows he had enough money on him to get whatever material object he desired in the first place. No, Victor cherished the gifts that came from his fucking sappy heart, resulting in Yuri flitting about in a state of panic.

It had been so much easier to get him presents when he was smaller and less badass. He drew him cats and reluctantly shared candy. Cooking his favorite meals didn’t count, a family birthday feast was tradition. Something for his furbaby was out of the question a well; Makkachin’s gifts were for Makkachin, not for Victor. Getting him daily necessities were more of Mila and Georgi’s thing, both knowing him since childhood, but not exactly close enough. Anything he may have thought of purchasing for himself was usually taken care of by his (desperate, delusional, and mildly obsessed) fanbase - the ones that only stanned him, not he and Katsudon together. What do you get a man who has everything?

The answer came barging into his room on Christmas Eve, flopping onto his snack table and clutching his phone to his chest.

“I tried asking Yuuri out tomorrow,” he moaned, hand draped across his monstrous fivehead. Leave it to him to adopt the Japanese tradition of making the day for lovers. “I choked, and asked him if we had homework instead. Why am I like this?!”

Yuri howled, reclining on his desk chair just far enough to not fall in a heap. Of all the problems his mess of a brother had, it was his own inability to resolve the questionably resolved sexual tension between him and Katsudon.

However, it gave Yuri the greatest idea for a present. When Victor finally vacated his room to cockblock Yakov and Lilia with his troubles, he called Katsudon and booked his whole day. While his sister wasn’t too thrilled at losing her manual labor for the day, Phichit was more than happy to help Yuri convince her otherwise.

“Anything for the sake of a Victuuri date,” he winked.

Upon Katsudon’s arrival the next morning, still half-asleep and extremely agreeable to Yuri’s demands, he taped a blue ribbon to his head and stomped to the ornate door that could only belong to Extra Incarnate. He yanked him out of bed and threw the trench coat and glove ensemble had Mila gifted him at his drowsy face. Ten minutes later (a record for him, definitely aided by the knowledge that Katsudon was waiting in the living room), he appeared with all the exuberance of a kid who didn’t believe in Santa, but knew he’d be getting the toy on his list anyway.

He found every occupant in the living room donning baby blue gift ribbons.

“Christmas Market,” Yuri choked out. “You two, me, and the animals.”

Victor’s heart-shaped smile definitely did not delight him.

 

* * *

 

 

“Wow, amazing!” Victor exclaimed, twirling across the decorations littering the center plaza. While their family didn’t celebrate Christmas in December like everyone else, they gladly participated in the festivities. Yakov was a staple in the annual ice show, with Lilia contributing her choreography. Victor’s exuberance was just as much a fundamental part of the celebration, as shown by how the people around them looked on indulgently as he flitted from one display to another like some overzealous butterfly.

Yuri trudged behind a disgustingly romantic Victor and Katsudon for the rest of the afternoon, Makkachin and Pyocha trotting along in their jingliest Christmas collars and Katsuki-brand knitted hats. They would return home to Yakov and Lilia in the evening. If they arrived to an announcement that they were remarrying or something equally sappy and timed for the holidays, he was packing his junk and bunking at Otabek’s.

A pathetic whine broke him out of this thoughts. He looked up to find Victor’s cheeks puffed up like a deranged chipmunk, bottom lip jutting out just so.

“You’re not allowed to look like that on my birthday!”

Son a bitch, this child!

Katsudon laughed and threaded his fingers between Victor’s, melting his petulant look in an instant. Yuri resisted to hurl at the moon eyes he was throwing at the raven head's direction.

“Maybe we should go ahead with Makka, Victor?” he suggested, “I’m sure Yurio would prefer some time with his friends.”

He pointed behind Yuri to a conveniently-placed hedge. There, both Phichit and Otabek peeked through like the shameless bastards they were.

“I couldn’t help it?” Phichit offered.

Otabek shrugged. “It was either this or keeping a call open with my sisters all day.”

They didn’t part ways as much as form two groups that walked a few feet from each other. Katsudon and Victor swung interlocked hands ahead of them as Makkachin bounced along with cheerful barking while Yuri, Phichit, Otabek, and Pyocha swung behind in differing levels of interest in the pair. If Phichit had been any other person, then Yuri would have been worried about the live updates he was sharing with his several hundred thousand followers.

“You know they’re not dating yet, right?” he deadpanned in Phichit’s direction.

He retorted with an unimpressed look, “And you know that they are, but are horrible at communication, right?”

He couldn’t argue with him there.

“The lights are beautiful, aren’t they, Yuuri?” Victor chirped, looping his arm around Katusdon’s shoulders with all the grace of a stampeding bull. His aim was painfully off and he knocked off the raven’s beanie, shocking Katsudon into punching him and knocking them both over into a board.

It was embarrassing just being around them.

 

* * *

 

 

They eventually made their way to Tsukimine Shrine, where Mari had been doing vague shrine maiden work all day. She took one look at their motley crew entering through the torii gates, and put them to work. Each of them were assigned some form of manual labor to get the shrine ready for the New Year rush. Phichit, Otabek, and Pyocha were tasked with work inside the shrine, while Yuri had the misfortune of working on the grounds with his brother and his still-not-boyfriend.

“I still don’t understand how they let you become a shrine maiden,” Katsudon grumbled, swinging a broom in aggressive swipes. Mari-sensei smirked from her spot beside him.

“I’d be insulted if your opinion actually mattered.” She cast him a half-lidded look, “Now use that thing properly. Just because those stupid puppy dog eyes worked on mom and dad for twenty years doesn’t mean they’ll work on me. It’s about time you actually learn to clean.”

“I can clean!”

“Tell that to your dusty trainers,” she chortled. She took in his puffed cheeks with a sly smirk. “I know that look. Are you gonna tell mom on me, Yuuri-chan?”

The strangled shriek that came out of Katsudon’s throat was enough to get him doubled over in laughter. The raven’s reddening cheeks and his teacher’s triumphant look only increased his amusement. Too bad Victor had to go and ruin it. He crooned between the bickering siblings with his sappy heart-shaped smile.

Mari rolled her eyes at him, a sentiment Yuri shared. “When you’re done with all this, you can do the rest of the fancy shrine jazz you probably came for.”

If Victor were a dog, his ears would have perked to the sky. He hopped in place, returning to his job with renewed fervor. The Katsukis watched on in amusement.

 

* * *

 

 

“How many should I light up?” Victor asked, a manic glint in his eye. His thumb twitched impatiently where it rested on the switch of the lighter he borrowed from Mari-sensei, who took refuge under a tree to watch them. Katsudon took a half-step backward, looking rightfully wary.

“Just one is alright,” he responded. “Mari said there isn’t a limit, but I’m sure one candle is enough for whatever you want to pray for.”

There weren’t enough candles in the world.

His brother nodded once, and did as Katsudon instructed. He placed his lit candle among the stands, in the far back to leave room for anyone visiting after them. He looked far too satisfied with his work.

Yuri shuddered as a familiar sensation swept through his body. He only had a moment’s reprieve before the flickering flame on Victor’s candle grew, spreading across every candle, along the stands, and surrounding them in a wall of fire.

 

##  **XXXV.**

Victor had one Yu(u)ri clutched to either side, eyes wide. To his right, Katsudon clutched at his coat; To his left, Yuri gazed on in frustration. It was times like this where Yurio wondered why he bothered keeping magic a secret. One swish of a wand, and he could get them all out of there. Probably. But this had to be a secret for some inexplicable reason, so all he could do in the meantime was panic.

From the small gaps in the flames, he could see the others approaching. Otabek had his sword out, eyes calculating. Pyocha and Phichit trailed behind him, the latter trying to get a fire extinguisher in the right position. It would be useless, he knew, something as strong as this wouldn’t be beaten that easily. Mari looked on from behind them, lips pursed.

“Do you think we can run through them?”

Yuri jumped, having realized that the other two were trying to find a way out of their trap. He looked on as Victor and Katsudon observed their surroundings.

“They look too strong for that,” Victor said, much calmer than he expected, “We don’t know how thick the flames are, either. Who knows what could happen.”

“We have to do something,” Katsudon said, eyes wide. The wall of fire grew steadily, closing in on them further.

Victor hugged them closer, flashing them a reassuring smile. “I’m sure Mari and the others will find a way out.”

He would have fooled them with it if it weren’t for the slight tremble in his grasp. Fuck him, pretending things were okay. Before he could voice out his anger, he felt Victor’s hold loosen. He and Katsudon gasped as his his eyes shut and he swayed.

“Victor!” Katsudon cried, barely preventing Victor from face planting to the ground. Yuri grasped his other side, and helped support his brother’s dead weight. They laid him down gently and Katsudon checked for a pulse, sighing in relief when he found one.

“He’s okay,” he said, shoulders slumping and blinking slowly, “there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with him, but...”

Yuri looked up bemusedly, noting the slur in Katsudon’s words. The panic increased tenfold when he slumped forward onto the ground next to Victor. He cursed.

“Yuri!” Pyocha yelled over the roaring flames “Did it work?”

“Did  _what_ work?” he called back, frantic. It dawned on him then that someone (probably Otabek) must have done something to make them fall asleep. Son of a bitch. “You could have warned me, dammit!”

Rather than gracing him a with a reply, Otabek called a water spell to quell the flames. Aside from an angry sizzle, it did nothing. “Now would be a great time to use magic, you dunce!” he called.

Yuri did just that, unsealing the staff, and calling on Watery. The slippery little troublemaker appeared with an unnecessary splash and got to work on extinguishing the flames. It should have fucking worked, but the wall of fire persisted. So Yuri went for what he knew.

“ _Windy_ I”

It was a horrible idea. Rather than put the flames out, they spread faster. He cursed, at least one of those cards should have worked, but  _Firey_ was stronger than he expected. Nothing the others did on the other side were helping either. Not the fire extinguisher, not Pyocha’s yelling, not Otabek’s combination of air and water spells.

Oh.

Oh yeah.

He took both cards from his pocket, taking in the sight. He’d never used two cards at the same time before, certainly not ones as strong as these two, but he had to try. It was a good a time as any to use the patented drama that magic came with. He threw the cards in the air with a flourish, both spinning elegantly beside each other. They overlapped slightly as they reached him, giving Yuri enough room to tap both cards with his call.

“Windy, Watery, go!”

The cards disappeared, replaced immediately by their avatars. They looped around him together, intertwining as the magic took effect. Yuri looked on in wonder as the flames shrunk. Before they could go out completely, the card avatar appeared before him.

“It’s Firey!” Pyocha yelled, and Yuri thought he deserved an award in pointing out the obvious.

Firey’s physical appearance made it look younger than the other elemental cards in Yuri’s possession. His flaming hair was held back with a red circlet, elven ears about the length of his face. Large, orange wings protruded from his glowing body, extending all the way to the ground. His crossed arms and smirk were the picture of arrogance. It morphed into one of worry as the Windy and Watery tandem circled him to submission.

“Return to your true form, Clow Card!”

 

* * *

 

 

They dragged Victor and Katsudon into an empty room one of the old shrine maidens let them use. Very specific instructions to both Erase and Illusion would ensure they’d believe they nodded off after Victor lit his candle. Pyocha and Otabek assured him they’d wake soon, they’d have snacks in the meantime.

Phichit pouted at the video on his phone, “Am I ever going to get good footage of you capturing cards? After Shield, it’s all distractions and serious stuff. I can’t even put you in a costume!”

“Boohoo, do you ever stop whining?”

“Children, this is a shrine,” Mari said, setting rice cakes and tea on the short table. “Shut the fuck up.”

Otabek, the only member of their group with actual manners, helped her distribute their refreshments. Pyocha used his power boost from the newly-captured Firey to swipe extra snacks and scurry away. Yuri rolled his eyes, but didn’t bother chasing after the errant cat. As long as it wasn’t his food.

Phichit leaned toward him, and asked in stage whisper, “So does Mari just know about you?”

He shrugged, “Apparently.”

“And you didn’t invite me to the reveal?” he gasped. “I’m hurt!”

“She knew all along, dipshit,” he deadpanned. “The shrine has this magic bell thin that- Wait!” he turned a piercing glare at the woman nonchalantly sipping tea at the head of the table. “Why didn’t you use your fucking bell?”

She took her time to respond, sipping her drink a few times before before setting it down and devouring a few rice cakes. Yuri left a tick form on his forehead.

“Metal on fire, really?” she groused. “That bell isn’t for fighting, you know. It just happened to be good with Maze. Anyway, you seemed fine on your own.”

His glare intensified.

 

* * *

 

Victor’s birthday ended with a glorious feast, one, as a cat, Pyocha wasn’t invited to. He and Makkachin were fed earlier, much to their mutual disappointment. While they dined, he sulked in Yuri’s bedroom; Makkachin lounged in Victor’s, enjoying her favorite vet show. He envied her simple pleasures.

Now that Firey was finally captured, some of his powers returned to him. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to return him to his true form. He missed being majestic and powerful. Nonetheless, he was glad that at least some of it was back. It was troublesome having Yuri sense trouble before him, and Windy being able to influence his memories.

Oh, his memories.

He sighed, turning from the window to the drawer where the Clow Cards lay. The Book of Clow responded to his call and floated before him. Where the stylized feline beast once was, there was emptiness. It represented him as Agape, and should rightfully be missing from the front cover. On his cue, the book turned, displaying its back.

He winced.

Under Clow’s magic circle, was another empty space. It wasn’t supposed to be empty, but it was, and it had been that way since Yuri scattered that cards. It meant he was always out there, watching.

Eros.

 

##  **XXXVI.**

The spring term began with a resounding bang. Literally.

“Children, it’s time!” Phichit cried, exploding into their clubroom with the face of a child who’d eaten his body weight in sugar.

“Time?” Otabek echoed, usual straight face scrunched in mild fear. He didn’t blame him. The last time Phichit had that look on his face, “The Hotties of Seijo High” calendar was born. Victor bought fifty special edition copies because Katsudon somehow got himself a spread. No one bothered to question why someone who didn’t even attend the high school was a model.

Phichit’s dulcet tones snapped him out of his flashback. “The Cultural Festival, my son. It’s time for the Cultural Festival!”

And suddenly, Yuri remembered why he wanted nothing to do with school clubs at the start of the year. It wasn’t that Cultural Festivals were bad per se, they were just a lot of work. The fact that they’d be preparing a little over a month in advance was proof. It was bad enough that each class had to prepare a booth - and their homeroom teacher would likely give the announcement tomorrow morning - but each club did too. Everyone collaborated, borrowed people, and made a giant mess of skewed priorities and obligations when the weekend of the event finally came.

Unfortunately for him, Phichit had a reputation for planning the grandest and most elaborate booth of the bunch. His track record included a pet cafe, the world’s largest pizza, and “How to Flash Mob 101”. The manic look on his face only meant he planned something bigger and more troublesome than all those combined. The heavy air of apprehension in the room indicated he wasn’t the only one that thought so.

“Now I know what you’re all thinking, and don’t worry. I toned it down a little this year.” At everyone’s shared look of bemusement, he explained. “I’m busy third year, everybody. Those university entrance exams aren’t gonna answer themselves.”

Everyone seemed content with that, but Yuri didn’t buy it one bit. Not only was Phichit a genius, but he had more than enough money and power to buy his own university. And he certainly didn’t seem worried about school any time they were off catching errant magical beings.

“This year, my fine little birdies, we’re going to do a play!” he announced. “President Steve,” his name wasn’t Steve, “wanted the clubs to try something a little different this year and messed up all our plans. We can’t do anything related to our own club and have to branch out into something else. (Why he thought of that when we’re supposed to be showcasing our best is beyond me, but meh.)”

Phichit never liked Steve. Very few people genuinely did. How the moron was elected was beyond them.

“So we’re doing a play with the help of the Drama Club. JJ and Isabella are heading an art exhibit and we’re helping them in exchange for their venue, sound system, and basic acting lessons.” There was more to this, but the less they knew, the better.

“As elementary as it sounds, we’re gonna do Sleeping Beauty. There aren’t many of us here, so it’ll do. Extras and stagehands switch roles every now and then so we won’t need a million costume changes. I think I can get some people in the drama club to help us if things get hard.”

Phichit sauntered toward the chalkboard and unfurled the large roll of paper that everyone just noticed was tied behind his back. With help from two extras, he tacked the corners onto the board, revealing a game of Ghost Leg, some ladder game lottery thing. “Since President Steve wouldn’t let me have my fun, I’m deciding everyone’s roles with Amidakuji.”

“Sadaritagi,” a bored voice interjected.

“No one asked you, Seung-gil,” Phichit piped. “Now everyone write your names, then we’ll get drawing.”

When everyone stepped forward to do as ordered, Phichit caught him by the sleeve. The menacing smile was back. “Yurio, do your beloved upperclassman a favor and write your name on the rightmost slot, will you?”

Trusting his instincts - or maybe he was going against them, he didn’t even know anymore - he sent a quick text to Otabek. Write my name on your slot, I’ll write yours, it read. That should prevent any disaster Chulanont was planning for him. While he felt a little guilty for subjecting Otabek to whatever horror was set for him, he still got nightmares from that time in junior high when the older student dressed him in a hamster onesie.

So… many… seeds...

As he returned from jotting his friend’s name down, he saw the expression on Phichit’s face falter for a moment before schooling itself back into one of elation. Yuri gulped.

Oh shit, what did he do?

The third year ripped the long sheet hiding their roles from view. “Did I mention that the prince and princess have to kiss for real? None of this stage concealment in a Chulanont production!”

What does that have to do with anyth-  _Oh shit._

 

* * *

 

 

“So you’re the prince,” Pyocha said as Yuri finally calmed down from his teenage tantrum. The cat padded himself off to where Yuri lay huffing and curled up comfortably on top of him. “I don’t get why you’re so upset.”

Channeling his inner Victor Nikiforov, Yuri catapulted upright - sending Pyocha flying and spitting away - before flopping back on his back on the ground. “This is gonna be a disaster,” he groaned.

A warm weight settled by his head and a furry paw pat his crown. “It can’t be that bad,” Pyocha soothed, voice uncharacteristically kind in response to Yuri’s own out of character moment. “You said Phichit usually goes all out for stuff like this. A play doesn’t seem too bad.”

“It wouldn’t be if I didn’t have to fucking lip lock the princess.”

A partly amused, partly wry chuckle. “It won’t be that bad, you’ll only be kissing her for a few seconds.”

“He,” Yuri corrected.

Pyocha didn’t miss a beat. “Okay, he. I still don’t see what’s so-”

“It’s Otabek.” At Pyocha’s stunned silence, he added. “Phichit thought it would be funny.”

 

 

 

##  **XXXVII.**

“Oh no, the princess,” the queen deadpanned, his tinfoil crown gleaming in the fluorescent classroom lights. “How could this have happened?”

“Cut!” Phichit bellowed, hand pressed firmly against his forehead in frustration. “Seung-gil, please,” he breathed, “your daughter just died. Have a little emotion, will you?”

The stoic boy turned his half-lidded gaze to the director and, without missing a beat, said, “Anyone with my DNA in them wouldn’t be this stupid.”

“That isn’t the point,” he groaned, “Seung-gil, we’ve got a two weeks before we have to perform this. Work with me h-- Otabek, no! Stay there!”

Otabek bodily flinched from where he was sprawled on the ground. His limbs were starting to grow numb from his awkward position. Who knew swooning and lying dead were so hard?

Off to the side, he heard Yuri’s muffled snort. He still hadn’t completely forgiven the traitor for subjecting him to this torture.

“Don’t look so smug, Plisetsky!” Pichit called, wielding his script like a sword, “You still don't have that step sequence down. You look like an idiot when you fight those demons.”

Yuri’s cheeks pinked, highlighting the white bandage across the bridge of his nose. He should have been glad his face plant onto the practice mats hadn’t cause more damage than a little cut. As athletic and unusually graceful as he was, Yuri still had problems following Phichit’s battle sequence. Likely due to the fact that he was instructed to do it all with feeling.

After a few cycles of furious Mouth opening and shutting, he paused. Otabek knew the exact moment the blond came up with some convoluted plot because his visible eye glinted in mischief.

“You wanna bet I can get that pretty step sequence of yours down today?” This was unethical, he just knew it. “If I nail it next round without any mistakes, you’re getting off my back and changing my stupid costume!”

Phichit snorted, “Good luck! We’re practicing your scene next, Yurio. Like you can suddenly get good in ten minutes.”

“Watch me!” He then stormed out the room with a manic grin, his hand laid on the knot of his tie, about where the Key of the Clow would be. Otabek watched as a similar glint of trouble sparked in Phichit’s eyes as they watched him go.

 

* * *

 

 

He found himself a secluded spot in the back of the school to practice with. No one but the smokers and horny bastards went there. Since everyone was busy with festival preparations, he was in the clear. He took his necklace off and released his wand. Like always, he pulled the exact card he’s been thinking about from his pocket. He tapped it swiftly and watched as translucent wings formed just below his ankles. They flickered for a second before disappearing completely.

It sucked that Clow hadn’t made a card that helped people fight. The Sword would technically count, but he couldn’t exactly use it against anyone without getting his ass in deep shit. It would be hard to explain how exactly he stabbed a hole into a wall, prop, or classmate. He settled for using Jump instead. Pyocha told him that aside from exponentially increasing his jumping ability, the card also improved his speed and agility.

It was perfect.

“You’re not doing what I think you’re doing, are you?” came a familiar drawl from the gym doors.

Ah fuck, right. The smokers.

Yuri directed a mildly sheepish grin at Mari, her arms crossed and a lit cigarette dangling from her hand. The perfect image of a cool, but exasperated, authority figure. They would eventually have to discuss just how much Mari knew about magic and his role as Cardcaptor, but for now, he just shrugged.

“It’ll get Phichit off my back.”

She raised a brow, “Just for that?”

“It’s worth it,” he pressed.

She rolled her eyes, “It’s your funeral.”

Katsudon must have gotten away with a lot of shit growing up.

 

* * *

 

 

The blond lunged and dodged with an ease he’d only ever witnessed in Otabek. “Trained all his life in martial arts and swordplay” Otabek. Just as he suspected, Yurio finally caved in and used his magic.

This hadn’t been his original plan, he certainly had some misgivings about its execution. One wrong move and Yurio would expose his magic to everyone in the room. And it would take more than a few strategic winks and nudges for them to forget. Nevertheless, he’d come prepared and would call him out when things got too out of hand. He’d asked Otabek to be on standby just in case.

He watched as Yurio progressed from his routine to increasingly more showboaty maneuvers. It was only about time before-

“Holy fuck!”

It was unusual for Seung-gil to curse, but what they’d all witnessed warranted for it. What Yurio clearly meant to be some sort of backflip had him several more feet in the air than planned. Whatever card he used worked its magic and had him spinning like a gymnast on a bar. He landed with perfect grace, with a form a professional would be jealous of.

Ignoring the awed applause from their other club members, Yuri slowly turned his gaze to meet his unreadable expression.

Ah, good, he knew he was busted. Phichit should be the sensible authority figure and call him out here, tell him off for using magic and all that. But that wasn’t fun. Heck, it wasn’t the plan to be begin with.

He clapped once, the sound echoing through the gym and making everyone halt. He felt his face stretching into a smirk, one so devious that Otabek took a step back from his place a few feet away. Yurio paled further, and he knew he’d made the right choice of egging him on.

“Brilliant, Yurio!” he chirped, the blond openly perplexed by his joy. “That was a fantastic addition!”

He sauntered over, keeping Yurio in place with firm hands on his shoulders. The first year gulped in response.

“We’re definitely keeping that flip in.”

 

 

 

##  **XXXVIII.**

The morning began like any other school-wide event, utter chaos. Props went missing, costumes needed last minute adjustments, and Phichit informed them that not only was the theater packed, but he was also live-streaming the whole thing on every social media platform he belonged to.

Yuri sent a silent thank you to the universe for preventing him from being the princess in this play. His giant hat and gaudy cape were nothing compared to the pink monstrosity that was shoved into Otabek’s dressing room earlier that day. If he heard Phichit right, it even came with a long wig, curled into perfect ringlets. Blonde ringlets.

“Everyone, give your best out there!” Phichit piped, “I’ll be up in the narrator’s booth, cheering for you all If anything goes wrong, call me.” He cast a long look at his peers, meeting everyone’s eyes with a serious look. “Don’t call me.”

Needless to day, even Yuri backed away a bit.

He was drawn from his musing by the telltale dragging of Otabek’s heeled feet. He turned toward the source of the sound and tried his best to hold in a wave of laughter. He failed spectacularly.

“I will give you everything I have,” his friend growled, pinched face clashing spectacularly with his poofy, pink get-up and sparkly tiara. “if you kill me right now.”

 

* * *

 

 

When Phichit shut the door, Pyocha slithered out of the rucksack that had been his carrier. His fur puffed out in awkward angles, and the cat shook about in displeasure. Before he could apologize, Pyocha grumbled.

“I know, I know. Cats aren’t allowed on campus. Park-sensei’s allergic to cats. People are going to wonder why the cat has wings, despite the fact I can make them disappear. Blah, blah, blah…”

He chuckled, “I guess Yurio hasn’t been very creative with his excuses?”

He grumbled, “Being a house cat is nice and all, but I’d like to be useful once in a while.”

“Aw, don’t be like that, Pyocha,” Phichit cooed, You’re plenty useful.”

He huffed, “Because being stuck in Yurio’s bedroom whenever Clow Cards actually appear is so useful.” His tail flicked morosely, “Some guardian I am.”

Phichit patted him consolingly, “Come on, you can’t help it. You told us yourself that you won’t have any powers until he catches the… earth?”

“Earthy, actually.”

“No offense to your Master, but that’s a stupid name.”

He shrugged, “English is stupid.”

“You’re not wrong,” he laughed. He lifted the cat, his wings popping out of magical hammerspace in his shock. He stood firm as Pyocha wriggled in indignation. “Come help me set my cameras up. I want this play shot from every angle.”

 

* * *

 

 

He knew the only things preventing Otabek from slicing him into Yurio Linguini were his manners and pretty, poofy dress, but that didn’t stop Yuri from doubling over in delight when he returned from his finger prick scene. His friend looked down on him impassively.

“I will cut you,” he said, “I will cut you, and the whole world will be plunged into the apocalypse.”

“Worth it,” he gasped between peals of laughter, “so worth it!”

Otabek scowled, “Keep laughing. Your brother and future brother-in-law are out there, watching.”

That stopped him. They weren’t supposed to know about the play. Hell, they were supposed to be too busy to come. “They’re _what?!_ ”

He ignored the frantic shushing from the stagehands and growled at Otabek’s smirking face. The ass had the audacity to look coy, “Didn’t Phichit tell you? He invited them.”

“Fuck you.”

“Plisetsky, we’re up!” a half-horse hissed, hopping toward them in panic. His other half, a fidgety head and torso, flapped his arms behind him. Oh shit, it was time.

 

* * *

 

 

The play was going well, Pyocha thought, watching as Yuri flipped and lunged his way through yet another hoard of demons. There sure were a lot actors for a single middle school club.

Phichit grinned, reading his mind, “I got some extras from the drama club. They were all too happy to get away from King and Queen Leroy-Yang for the morning.”

Pyocha snorted, remembering every long-winded rant Yuri gave him about the pair. He sure spent a lot of time with people he apparently hated so much. He watched as Yuri disappeared for a short while to hide behind a prop tree. A quick flash, one only visible to those with magical ability, and he was back. He launched himself several feet in the air, somersaulting thrice before landing gracefully on his feet. The crowd screeched in appreciation.

He raised a furry brow, “Are you going to explain why he used The Jump for that trick?”

He waved it off with a grin, “It was my plan, but Yurio’s fault.”

“I’ll let that one slide,” he sighed. It would take too much energy to scold these idiots.

He watched on as the prince defeated Maleficent, plunging a dagger to his heart… chest… gap between his arm and torso. The evil fairy disappeared with a final cry and creative use of smoke and sparklers. The three fairies appeared and lead the prince to where the (snort) princess slept.

Phichit squeaked, “It’s time~!”

“Did you seriously have them kiss for this?” he snorted.

“Not in practice, no,” he replied, “Otherwise, I would’ve had the Angels breaking the doors down.”

“The Angels?”

“Yuri’s Angels, they’ve been his terrifying hoard of fangirls. They made themselves a thing sometime in middle school, if I recall right.”

“Is this why he hates people?” he asked, wincing at the sharp screeching from the audience.

Phichit covered his ears along with him, “Probably, yeah. Anyway I never actually told them to kiss, but Yuri will do what he wants to. I’ll have my fun either way.”

“You’re horrible.”

He smiled, “Yup~”

Yuri slowly leaned in, face scowling all the while. From his spot in the narrator’s booth, Pyocha could see that Otabek’s looked just as done. He wondered if Phichit’s stream would have clearer shots of their expressions.

A familiar wave of power came to his attention then, and he gasped. He saw Otabek catapult off the bed, Yuri backing away from him, before they were engulfed in darkness.

 

##  **XXXIX.**

It was a Clow Card, that much as obvious; he’d been through too much of this shit to assume otherwise. He had to admit though, this was one of the less stressful situations he’d been in lately. Despite the oppressive darkness, at least he didn’t have to fight anything yet. He released his staff and summoned Glow without a second thought.

The firefly-like fairy zipped about, happy to have been called for such an important moment. She left a trail of tiny, green lights in her wake, similar to those Yuri had seen when he caught her. They did nothing to illuminate the darkness, however, and she floated sullenly back to him.

“None of that,” he said, casting her an understanding look, “You did what I told you to do, but it didn’t work. That’s not your fault.”

Glow blinked up at him slowly, before nodding, a giddly smile across her face. She flit about him for a few more moments, chirping in encouragement, then returned to his pocket in card form.

He sighed, gazing impassively at his companion as he motioned his left hand to his staff. “It would be too easy for me to bop this in the sky and catch it, huh?”

Otabek nodded, a hint of confusion in his expression. His switch from laying on the prop bed to somehow standing beside Yuri must have left him disoriented. “By the look of things, it’s another one of those you have to name.”

“Can’t I just punch it?” He didn’t bother hiding the whine in his tone.

Otabek shot him a dry look, “The air?”

“Yes.”

He groaned, “Name the damn card and get us out of here. Phichit’s gonna have a fit of this messed with his stream.”

In lieu of responding, Yuri observed his surroundings with a frown. He called, “Dark!”

Their surroundings swirled, a murky grey swirling along with the blackness. Soon more colors joined the mix, cool colors melting into warmer tones, he smirked. It was as good as caught, he thought. The triumph didn’t last long, however, because as if a switch was flipped, the colors slowly receded. The vibrant hues dulled until there was nothing left but shades of grey. The swirling slowed until the blackness returned in full force. A sharp inhale from Otabek drew Yuri’s attention away from his frustration. He gasped.

The darkness pooled around Otabek’s feet, ascending upward, viscous and consuming. Yuri panicked.

“Erase!” he screamed, summoning the card to come to his aid. It appeared in a swirl of yellow and grey, the green cape in her hands clashing with checkered clothing and long, pointed cap. She flitted about Otabek, trying to remove the darkness as Yuri ordered to no avail. With a disappointed frown, Erase returned to card form and swooped back into his pocket.

The darkness bled faster, swallowing his legs and moving upward to his torso.

“Otabek, what the fuck?” he screeched, “Do something!”

 

“Yuri, panicking isn’t going to help you figure this out,” he advised, the calmness in his voice overshadowed by frantic eyes. He looked to and fro with a pinched frown, as if searching for something just out of sight. “Attacking it won’t work, we have to--” he gasped, “Yuri, there’s another--”

Yuri lunged, desperate to reach his friend before the last of him was consumed. He just managed to brush a their hands together before Otabek disappeared completely, leaving him falling to his knees and gasping sharp breaths.

He was all that was left now, just him in the darkness with no way out. He didn’t have Pyocha. He didn’t have Otabek. He didn’t know how they or anyone else were doing. Were they trapped like him? Did they know they were trapped?

He slammed his fists against the non-existent ground, cursing through clenched teeth. He crumpled in on himself, shutting his eyes tightly and trying to get his breathing under control. Otabek had been right, he wouldn’t solve this if he was a panicked mess. It didn’t matter where anyone else was or what they were doing, they would stay like that forever until Yuri figured this out.

And he would figure this out. He caught cards on his own before, this was no different.

Think, asshole, think!

It had something to do with the darkness, that much was obvious. He was almost certain that it actually was named The Dark, because a reaction like that wouldn’t have happened if he called out the wrong name. Unlike that time with Mirror, though, the card didn’t manifest into its avatar form.

So what did he do wrong?

Had the swirling been his cue to catch it, like Illusion with its mosaic pattern? Or should he have done it when it was in motion, and swallowing Otabek up?

Otabek.

His eyes shot open at the realization. Otabek has been saying something before he disappeared. He couldn’t finish, but Yuri heard enough.

_“Yuri, there’s another-”_

“Another card,” he gasped, casting another glance at his surroundings. It wasn’t just Dark that awakened, there was another that came with it. That second card prevented Dark from returning to its true form, and Yuri would need to know what it was to capture them both.

The panic in his chest melted away at the realization, replaced by a gentle warmth. He gasped, now sensing the telltale sign of a magical presence around him. It was different from how Dark felt before, this one pooling from inside him. Pressing a hand to his chest, he realized the card had been here all along. How else would he had been able to see himself in the dark for so long?

“I know you’re in me,” he said, voice echoing across the darkness. The warmth gathered beneath his hand, growing hotter and brighter at his words. He smirked at the ball of light now enclosing his hand. “Come out.”

 

##  **XL.**

A woman stood before him, a foot taller and figure gleaming against the stark blackness of their surroundings. A spiked crown rested on a thick mane of white, wavy hair, her regal-half smile framed by two curled locks. The black accents in her gown contrasted heavily with the whiteness of her exaggerated sleeves and stylized neckline.

Despite his awe, Yuri screeched. “Were you with me the whole time?!”

She giggled, “I am sorry to say that I have. Since the others were released from the book, I have been biding my time here,” he poked an elegant finger to his chest, “in your heart, waiting for the moment when you would summon me with your determination.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes,” she chirped. She raised her hand to cup his cheek and winked. “Now, I have a question for you, and you may seal me when you answer. What is it that illuminates the dark?”

Well, if they were getting sappy and cliche about it.

“Light,” he responded, voice firm.

The blackness of their surroundings melted away, being replaced with, of course, light. Yuri marvelled at its intensity, and how his eyes weren’t burning at the change in environment. As the last of the darkness bled away, its remnants shaped the figure of another woman.

She stood as tall as Light, both resembling and opposing her in appearance. Curled spikes to Light’s straight crown, straight black hair versus wavy white, white accents on a pitch black gown of the same design, and five crystals adorning her chest where the other card had a sun. This was Dark.

She spoke in the same serene tone, “I am happy that you realized Light was in you. I could not be sealed otherwise.”

Light took her hands and drew her close. “We are special, Dark and I,” she explained. “You cannot have one without the other, after all.”

He snorted, mildly frustrated by the cliche of it all. He should have figured by now that these cards were as extra as extra could be.

Dark smiled indulgently, “Will you seal us now, Cardcaptor?”

Yuri did just that. As a swirl of monochrome enveloped him, the sight of school auditorium slowly returning in the edges of his vision, Dark spoke once more.

“You have done well, Cardcaptor. You will do well in the Final Judgement against Eros.”

That caught his attention. “Who the fuck is Eros?”

“He is someone close to you,” Light answered.

“You will understand when the time comes, our Yuri.”

“Until then, we wish you the best.”

Unlike his previous catches, both cards swooped into his pockets rather than his hand or falling to the ground. Yuri blinked once and found himself standing on their prop bed, Otabek and several others looking perplexed at their surroundings. From the narrator’s booth up above, he spotted a blinking Phichit with his head cocked to the side. The moment didn’t last long, however, and Yuri could see the exact moment the senior remembered their situation and frantically mimed at them to keep the play going.

Yuri froze on the spot, confused and unprepared as fuck. Luckily Otabek was his princess in sparkly taffeta.

“Oh, my prince,” he squeaked in his god awful girly voice, “You have saved me from the evil fairy’s curse!” He launched himself at Yuri in a tackle hug, likely to hide the utter humiliation on his face.

The other actors took the horrible display of affection as their cue to go on with the final scene. The fairies sang, Queen Seung-gil deadpanned a speech of gratitude, while the king flitted around them all and gesticulated wildly, having forgotten his lines. Phichit’s voice of god from his booth concluded the play as he and Otabek fumbled through an awkward waltz.

The audience ate it all up.


	5. Chapter 5

##  **XLI.**

“Phichit really outdid himself with the special effects this year,” Victor said, “I thought it’d be a normal play until the lights went out. I would’ve thought something was wrong if not for the weird swirling and flashing. A pity no one seemed as entertained by it.”

“It was a little scary,” Yuuri responded, “You were right there beside me and I couldn’t feel you anywhere.”

He hummed thoughtfully, “We’ll have to ask him how he did it sometime. I’m sure it took a lot out of him.”

After the Photography Club’s intriguing rendition of Sleeping Beauty, Victor and Yuuri strolled along the Cultural Festival’s many attractions and booths, marvelling at the variety. Yurio and the others went off to post-production clean up then proceeded to their respective class stalls, so they chose to enjoy the rest of the attractions before meeting up again. Victor heavily participated in his fair share of school events over the years, but rarely did he have the time to slow down and enjoy.

Beside him, Yuuri gasped. “Victor, look!” he pointed to a nearby booth, “Doesn’t that one look just like a mini Makkachin?”

Sitting on the highest shelf, between a large plush onigiri and a mildly fighting shark, sat a chocolate brown poodle in all its adorable splendor. The fluffy thing sat on its haunches, furry front paws drawn together demurely. Floppy ears framed a chubby little face, dark eyes glimmering like they were alive. It was perfect.

Yuuri’s cry drew the attention of the personification of Obnoxious Jock stationed at the tent. He was unusually tall for a high school student, having at least a head on Victor. His jersey marked him as a member of the school’s basketball team. He looked Yuuri up and down, observing his shorter stature and puffy coat. Judging him. Underestimating him.

Victor didn’t like this child.

He called out to them, his voice booming, and Yuuri jumped a little at the volume. It would have been cute if the kid’s eyes hadn’t sharpened in response. When they drew near, he gestured to a handful of equally gigantic men dude bro-ing by a hoop.

“You’re gonna have to get past five of us and get a ball in that hoop to win a prize,” he told them.

“That’s it?” Yuuri asked, raising a perfect brow. “Okay.”

The kid blinked dumbly, taken aback by Yuuri’s nonchalance. But he shook his head and chuckled. “It’s a hundred Yen a pop.”

When Yuuri handed him the money, he called on four of his teammates and instructed another to take his place at the booth. Someone bounced a ball over to him, which he proceeded to use in a series of party tricks to intimidate them. When that didn’t work, he scowled and hurled the ball in their direction.

Yuuri caught the ball one-handed and the hint of a smirk appeared on his face. With twinkling eyes fixed solely on him, he asked. “Hold my coat for me?”

It was Victor’s turn to smirk. “Crush them.”

 

* * *

 

 

Victor suggested they settle somewhere inside to get something to eat. They would need the energy to carry around their family of plushies, he reasoned.

“You really didn’t have to get me one,” he blushed, squeezing his onigiri to his chest. It made a tiny squeak at the motion and he giggled.

Victor laughed along, “And miss that look on your face? Please Yuuri, I really had to. Making the basketball team cry was just a bonus.”

“We didn’t really make them cry, did we?” he asked, concerned. While he wasn’t happy with their initial appraisal of him, he didn’t really mean to crush them as Victor instructed.

Victor shook his head, eyes alight with mirth. “No, we just took them down a peg or two. And really, after you made the effort to get something for Yurio and the pets, I had to return the favor.”

The poodle and Yurio’s tiger were cradled in each of Victor’s arms. Makkachin’s comically large bone and Pyocha’s shark peeked out from his backpack. Yuuri felt the heat rise to his cheeks at the sight. He hadn’t intended to win so much, but the sight of Victor’s elation made him go a little overboard. He spotted the other toys, and didn’t hesitate to slam another three hundred more on the table.

Victor noted his reddened face with a smile, the unique heart shape ever endearing. “And it wasn’t just for you. I had to get something for Phichit as a thank you.”

Yuuri smiled, thinking of the grey hamster plush in his own bag. It was a dead ringer for little Arthur; Phichit would love it.

Victor squealed, “Ah, this is the one, Yurio’s class!”

The exterior was decorated in multi-colored ring streamers, a handwritten sign identifying it as a sweets shop. Right on cue, Yuri’s friend Guang Hong peeked through the curtain lining the entrance. The younger boy wore a traditional waiter’s uniform, the ties of his half apron fixed in a neat bow on his waist. It made him think of home.

“Welcome!” he chirped. He was charmed already, knowing how exhausting it was to repeat the same contrived greeting for each guest. “Please come in.”

He met Victor’s eyes before walking inside and following Guang Hong to a comfortable bench. He gestured for the large menu on the blackboard, and told them that someone would be coming to take their order.

Soon enough, another uniformed student approached him. Victor’s phone snapped a mile a minute.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Yurio groaned.

 

* * *

 

 

  
Yurio hadn’t been too happy with them encroaching on his personal space and commanding him to get them food. So naturally, they stayed longer than they originally planned. Their bench gathered an impressive collection of empty soda bottles and sweet wrappers. Yuuri made sure to stack them neatly for easy clean-up later.

Take that, Mari. He knew how to clean.

Victor hadn’t stopped taking pictures, of course. Despite his busy schedule, Yakov never failed to document all their important moments, and since he was held up at some figure skating competition overseas at the moment, Victor took the reigns. He already sent his father several shots of Prince Yurio in action. Soon, he’d also have his fill of his younger son in all his rude waiter glory.

Yurio stomped toward them and threw another tray of food on their laps. “There, now will you get out of here already? Bother Chulanont for all I care.”

Victor cast him a pitiful look, lowering his phone slightly. “So rude to your big brother. I don’t know how I’ll ever recover from his heartache.”

Yuuri giggled, “I’m sure he wouldn’t be so sour if you gave him his present.”

“I’m not some snot-nosed brat you can bribe with a booth prize.”

He ate his words not ten seconds later when Victor presented him with a tiger the size of his torso. It took all his willpower to hold in his laughter at the sight of the boy’s perked shoulders and shining eyes. He wasted no time in grabbing the toy from his brother’s grasp and strapping it to the back with his apron.

It took visible effort for Yurio to reign his emotions back to edgy teenager, but when he did, he schooled his expression in to his trademark scowl and crossed his arms.

“Fine, you can stay,” he growled, the effect muffled by the sight of his new friend peeking from behind his shoulder. He strode away triumphantly.

Yuuri raised a brow at the sight of several girls unabashedly capturing his journey to the curtained-off back room with their own phones.

“Yurio sure does have a lot of fans.”

Victor smiled, “It helps that he’s a walking contradiction.”

 

##  **XLII.**

After the Mirror incident, Yuri chalked up Pyocha’s selective amnesia regarding matters relating to the Clow Cards as a result of Windy’s influence. If the card could share information with its remaining errant deckmates, then making the guardian beast forget important matters wasn’t too far-fetched. He doubted anything was different after catching Firey; that would have been too convenient. So rather than frustrate the cat further, he took his query to Otabek.

He cornered him during clean-up, under the cover of taking the trash out. He should’ve made his brother take the little shit from him when he had the chance. They talked in low whispers on their way to the trash compactors. It was with a keen eye that Yuri noticed his wince when he relayed his chat with Light and Dark.

“Eros?” he said, repeating the name slowly and carefully. “They really said Eros?”

He nodded, and Otabek’s expression turned grave. Far more somber than he’d seen before.

“It’s bad?” he asked, bracing himself for whatever his friend would say.

“I can’t say.” At Yuri’s perplexed frown, he said, “I don’t know much about him.”

He paused, brows drawing together. “Isn’t your family one of those ancient Clow relatives or something? You’ve been studying magic for years,” he said, rolling his eyes along with his extended last word, “Pyocha never stops telling me.”

He shrugged noncommittally, “The Altin family doesn’t know everything, just what Clow gave us and her mother’s own research. Whatever I don’t have should be with the rest of her family.”

“The rest?”

“Did you think Clow’s father’s family wouldn’t have anything of her’s?”

“I thought he was deadbeat.”

It was Otabek’s turn to roll his eyes, “Yeah, no. All I know of Eros is that he’s symbolized by the moon on the back of the Book of Clow. Everything else should be with the Okukawa Family, and their heir hasn’t appeared.”

“Not the Reeds?” he asked, knowing he’d taken in the least important detail, but chose to inquire anyway.”

“Clow Reed was a name she took on to use magic,” he explained. “Her real name was Minako Okukawa.”

“Fancy.”

“You would know.”

“Wait, you said Eros is on the back of the Clow Book?” Otabek nodded. “But there isn’t anything on the back.”

“Nothing?”

“No moon or anything like that, just the magic circle.”

 

* * *

 

 

Pyocha lounged on his new shark pillow in the middle of the living room, having returned home ahead of Yuri. It hadn’t taken long for one of Yuri’s classmates to discover him hiding under one off their prep stations, pilfering food. If it weren’t for his humiliating display of fluffy cuteness, then Yuri would have gotten into more trouble than he did. The hissy blond should have been grateful; instead, the brat threw him inside Victor’s overstuffed bag and demanded he be taken back. Pyocha chewed on the plush shark’s dorsal fin, annoyed.

A large hand stroked the length of his body, moving to scratch under his chin when he lifted his head. Victor chuckled at his pleased purring, looking down on his position indulgently from his seat on the couch.

“You’re not still pouting, are you, Pyocha?” he cooed, “I’m sure Yurio didn’t intend to be so mean.”

He whined in response, butting the boy’s arm indignantly. He’d long stopped being embarrassed by his house cat behavior; it was his only way of getting what he wanted from the rest of Yuri’s family. With a nearly perfect success rate, he wasn’t stopping any time soon.

Victor laughed in response, and hoisted both him and his toy up to his chest. Makkachin opened a curious eye at the motion, raising an ear curiously.

“Tell you what? You can stay in our room with us while you wait.” he told him, “Makka’s vet show should be starting soon. I’m sure you and I should be updated on what’s happening.”

Makkachin barked approvingly at the suggestion and leaped off the couch, kicking Victor’s thigh in the process. The boy winced, but didn’t scold her for her enthusiasm. Rather, he shook his head, equal parts amused and resigned.

“You go on ahead, girl” he called, following his eager puppy with a more sedate pace. “We’ll be up before the opening sequence starts!”

Pyocha snuggled into his pillow, happy to laze about after what happened earlier in the day. Like Yuri and Otabek, he’d been trapped alone when The Dark awakened in the school gym. With no way to communicate, he’d been left to mull in his thoughts as he waited for the blond to find a solution.

It hadn’t taken long, barely ten minutes with Yuri’s quick thinking and a helpful clue from Otabek, but in that time, Pyocha caught the barest hint of a familiar magical signature in the pitch blackness.

Eros.

He hadn’t realized until recently, but Eros’s presence had been close for some time now, muted at first, but growing with each card that came into Yuri’s possession. Only after Light and Dark’s capture did he realize just how close he had always been.

He sighed into the crook of Victor’s arm; the boy stroked him with the hand not preoccupied with petting his little girl’s fur.

Now that he thought about it, it seemed only right for Eros to be lurking somewhere in the shadows, he was the Judge after all. When the time came, he would decide if Yuri was worthy of the Clow Cards.

He had his suspicions on where Eros could be, but kept the thoughts to himself. It was bad enough that he was keeping vital information from Yuri about his duty as Cardcaptor. He didn’t have to make him wary of those close to him as well.

“Ready, Pyocha?” Victor asked, clicking his television on. “Makkachin says it’ll be good one.”

He meowed in affirmation. For now, he would enjoy peaceful moments like these while they lasted. With only one card left to catch, it was only a matter of time.

 

 

* * *

 

 

After a quick detour to the supermarket, Yuuri returned home to find his sister sprawled along their couch, flipping through one of several doorstop-worthy books she’d brought along. She looked up at the sound of him putting the groceries down on the counter, and smirked at the sight of him.

“I see you enjoyed your day,” she said, eyeing his prize nestled in his arm with amusement.

Yuuri threw her a mock glare and squeezed he giant onigiri to himself. It squeaked in mutual irritation. “You’re just jealous you had work to do,” he scoffed.

“Please,” she drawled, watching Yuuri put their food away draw a chair to sit by the counter. There were few places to sit in their modest apartment, barely enough space to sleep too. “I got off early and spent the rest of the day catching up on shows I missed. Did you know RuPaul’s is on its ninth season?”

He rolled his eyes, “Of course, I get alerts.” He paused, gaze scrutinizing, “If you were free all day, why didn’t you come to the festival? Last time I checked, you were a teacher.”

“And I still am, you douche. But I thought to give this thing a little skim.”

She lifted the heavy tome, and Yuuri’s eyes widened at the familiar cover. Mari hummed in acknowledgement, “This always was your favorite one.”

“Why are you reading about the Guardians?”

“Yurio caught Dark and Light today, didn’t he?” She watched him nod before continuing, “Then it’s only about time before  _he_ shows up.”

Eros.

“It’s just The Earthy now, right?” he asked, contemplating.

“Yup, and by your calculations, it’ll awaken soon.”

He balked, “I could be wrong!”

“Are you ever?”

He frowned, his silence an adequate response. He flopped himself against the counter, thankful for the softness of the plushie under him, and sighed.

“Why did it have to be him?” he mumbled.

“Don’t look at me. You’re the one who put that book in their study and started this mess.”

Lifting his head from the counter, he glared, “You know it couldn’t stay with us. It’s not ours to claim.”

“Then why bother asking when you know the answer?”

“...”

Mari sighed, taking in the sight of his slumped form and dark mood. Standing from her comfortable spot, she slowly made her way to him. Without warning, she drew him to her chest, onigiri and all, and allowed him to mull over his thoughts.

He hadn’t asked for this, none of them did. Not them, not the Altins, and certainly not Yuri, but they all had a duties to fulfill. Duties that Clow herself entrusted them with. If Yuuri was right, and he almost always was with these kinds of things, they would have a week before The Final Judgement. One more week, and this would all be over.

 

 

 

##  **XLIII.**

The night before he went down to the study and changed his life forever, Yuri dreamed.

His dreams were always a little weird. Sure, he had his fair share of horrible nights where he went to school in his underwear or turned into one of Mila’s dumbbells. He once had a particularly… unsanitary fantasy involving Katsudon a few weeks after meeting him, and no one would ever know about that.

But some of his other dreams were cryptic as fuck. Little happened, but he remembered them the most. Even more than the nightmares that had him catapulting out of bed and rushing for the lights. They always left him with a feeling that he was missing something. Like it was trying to tell him something important.

This was one of those dreams.

He stood on the top of Tokyo Tower - and he was sure it was that and not the Eiffel because he’d never been to France - gripping a painfully pink staff. The same one that would be in his possession less than twenty four hours later. He wore clothing he’d never seen before, the kind of flashy but comfortable that he could only associate with Chulanont’s brand of cosplay. Floating near his shoulder was a winged cat, directing him with a concerned frown before turning its gaze forward. Yuri followed and saw the moon.

The full moon stood stark against the starless night sky, much larger than he’d ever seen before. The sight should be beautiful. Instead, Yuri felt the overwhelming feeling of foreboding as it glowed before him. A gust of wind, gentler but colder than Windy’s breezes, would blow past.  The cat hesitated for a moment before flying forward, wings enveloping its small body before glowing gold and disappearing from sight.

Before Yuri could call for it to return, the cards rained down on him.

Several scarlet-backed, golden-lined cards cascaded around him like autumn leaves. For some unfathomable reason, he lunged to catch one but it floated past him, just out of reach. Then the wind picked up, faster and harsher than before. The force would push him from the tower, toward the ground.

Yuri woke before the fall, shocked awake by his obnoxious alarm clock and the sound of his brother’s hour-long morning routine. He mused just long enough to commit the dream to memory before noticing the time.

A school day and a few chores later, the dream made a little more sense.

He would have this dream several more times after that night. Some nights exactly the same, others with minor alterations. A boy with dark hair donning an ancient sword. A vision of a large, ornamental bell ringing insistently, beckoning him to wake. The glowing body of a winged wildcat. A man clothed in black and mesh, crystalline eyes flashing like the glimmering jewels adorning his body.

All of them silhouetted against the full moon.

 

##  **XLIV.**

At some ungodly hour of the morning, his door was thrown open by sixty-something pounds of fur and slobber. The demon poodle woofed in elation before launching herself onto his bed, bouncing shamelessly on his kidneys. The commotion shocked Pyocha out of his drawer, his feline screech harmonizing with Yuri’s own string of multilingual curses. Victor chose then to saunter in, mug of steaming tea in his hands, laughing at the chaotic sight before him.

“Good morning, Yuri!” he chirped, far too happy for this hour of the day. He turned his gaze to the panting mass of evil that served as his alarm clock and cooed, “Aren’t you a good girl, Makkachin, making sure Yurio had enough time to get ready. You’re the  _best girl_ , yes you are~”

He growled, throwing every loose object within an arm’s reach at his brother’s stupid head. He found satisfaction in the way his plush tiger socked him right in the face.

“Such cruelty!” he yelled, collapsing on his window bench with enough forced drama to believe he was watching a Victorian romance. “Who is this cold-hearted wench that replaced my sweet boy? I raised him with all my love and care, and he does _this_ in return!”

Makkachin whined at the display, hopping off his bed to nose at her father in show of her support. Victor clutched the poodle to his chest and whined. Yuri yanked them both by their respective collars and threw them out of his room and slammed the door in their faces. It didn’t deter them, however, as he was immediately assaulted by insistent pouding and scratching

“Hurry and get ready! We’re going to Tokyo today~”

“Kiss my ass, you fucker!”

“Stop screaming so early in the morning. It’s my day off and I want quiet!”

“Sorry, Yakov!”

Yuri groaned, collapsing onto his messy bed. Pyocha leaped from his sleeping drawer and pawed at his head. He laughed indulgently like he always did when the household was particularly rowdy.

“So… Tokyo?” he said, expectant.

“I’m not taking you, furball,” his voice was muffled by the sheets. “It’s bad enough I have to squeeze myself with everyone in the city. I don’t want to stress myself out even more, trying to keep you hidden.”

“You could always pretend I’m a stuffed animal,” he suggested.

“Yeah, like I’d bring a stuffed animal around with me all day?”

“There’s no law that says you can’t!”

He pushed himself off the mattress, glaring dispassionately at the pouting cat. “No.”

“Well, I’m stowing away in your bag anyway,” he purred matter-of-factly. “It’s not like you can stop me.”

It was too early for this shit.

 

* * *

 

Why they had to travel all he way to bustling Tokyo was beyond him. While it wasn’t as large a city, Tomoeda wasn’t some offgrid rural hideaway like in those shows with rich, white dudes trying to rough it out for half a week in their million-dollar cabins. There wasn’t anything in this congested hellhole he couldn’t find at home. Well, except-

“Tokyo Tower!’ Victor cried, stupid heart-shaped smile gleaming as he spread his arms wide.

They were nowhere close to the foot of the tower, but Victor could see the red and white monstrosity from the station. Katsudon pulled on his sleeve, trying in vain to calm the asshole and make him use his inside voice. The others, Otabek, Phichit, and Mari, lagged behind, pretending not to know them.

“Victor,” he said with a gentle yank of the arm, “That isn’t ‘til later. Don’t we have a cafe to pass by first?”

His brother’s stupid face perked at the reminder, going from mild excitement to ecstatic delight. He escaped from Katsudon’s hold and launched himself at Yuri with gleaming eyes, his iron grip on Yuri’s arm the only reason why the blond couldn’t back away.

“Come on! You’ll love this!” And he took off, yanking Yuri along the busy roads. Several pedestrians gave them a wide berth, taking notice of the excited Russian pulling a screaming Russian behind him, while their entourage frantically chased after them.

Wherever Victor was taking him, it better be worth being banned from Tokyo for being a nuisance to society.

 

* * *

 

 

Yuri was in heaven, actual heaven. The tiny ball of fluff toddled up to his face and placed her little paw on his cheek, mewing softly. He resisted the very real urge to sob; the struggle didn’t prevent him from noticing the bright flash above him, however. The kitten squeaked, afraid, and buried her head against his ear.

“Delete it now, motherfucker,” he growled at the smiling face looking down on them.

Phichit snorted, “And lose premium Yurio material? No way! I could get some good money from the Angels from this.”

“ _Don’t fucking dare!_ ” He yelled, bolting upright.

He took care not to jostle the kitten on his way. She mewed in disapproval, and Otabek scooped her up in comfort. Phichit took more pictures.

“You should be thanking me, you know? I gave them the idea to take you here in the first place.”

“Yeah, so you can hoard more blackmail material,” he sneered.

Phichit clutched a hand to his chest in a manner reminiscent of Victor’s earlier heartbroken performance. “I’m hurt you would think of me like that. Me, your blood brother, confidant, and costume designer.”

He leaned over, pressing close enough that Yuri could only see his burning eyes. There was no room for argument in the words that followed. “You owe me this, Plisetsky. I’ve been missing every single chance to record you catching cards lately. I was right there when it happened, and I have no memory of it.”

He swallowed and nodded minutely; Phichit smiled.

“Now that we have that settled, you can go back to playing with the sweet kittens~”

Otabek snorted from his spot beside him. “He’s got you on a tight leash, doesn’t he?”

He didn't bother to deign him with a response. Instead, he made grabby hands at the cooing kitten in his arms and reached for a bottle. If he was going to be threatened in this safe haven, he may as well enjoy himself.

He looked off to the other side of the cafe, where heartless monsters ate instead of petting cats. There, Victor gesticulated wildly in front of an amused Mariwhile Katsudon looked on in increasing horror. He snorted, realizing that the older Katsuki had likey dug into her repertoire of baby Yuuri stories. If his brother’s quickly blurring hands and his not-boyfriend’s reddening face were any indication, then she was getting to the juicy stuff.

Sensing his eyes on them, Victor paused from his pleased laughter to cock his head in question. He responded with an obscene gesture, making his brother pout disapprovingly. Rather than be a responsible adult and shrug him off, he called on them to join them for food. Yuri would have protested, but a familiar fluffy tail chose that same moment to brush against Victor’s silver head.

“Pyocha, you stubborn fuck!”

 

* * *

 

 

With all the commotion they caused at Pyocha’s sudden appearance, the cafe manager politely asked them to get the fuck out of the establishment. The bitch hadn’t exactly used the same words, but the tick on her forehead and her twitching smile were enough indication. They relocated to a nearby park, where all seven of them snacked on food that Victor and Katsudon managed to charm their way into buying before they were forced to leave. Katsudon just so happened to have brought a large picnic blanket along too.

“I just had a feeling,” he chuckled, passing a needlessly feline-safe treat over to Pyocha’s waiting mouth. The cat chirped in approval before digging in, shamelessly burying his furry face into the offered hand. Yuri tsked, trying his best to burn a hole into the back of his guardian-pet’s head. Victor looked on indulgently.

“He really is a smart cat, isn’t he?” he said, reaching over to scratch behind fluffy ears, Pyocha responded with a lazy tail wave. “I didn’t even feel him in my bag. The station guards didn’t see him when they checked it.”

“If what Phichit says is true, this isn’t the first time it’s happened,” Katsudon piped, feeding the errant cat another treat.

His friend laughed, “Park-sensei isn’t too happy with him, but he’s already got a small following around campus.”

“Min-so isn’t even allergic,” Mari scoffed. “She just hates them.”

“I suppose that’s why Yuri doesn’t like her very much then.”

“No one asked you, asshole,” he scowled, Otabek shrugged in his direction and bit into another cake. Yuri redirected his annoyance at the cat stuffing his face. “If he was so smart, he would have stayed home when I told him to.”

Pyocha ignored him in favor of hopping from one person to another, begging shamelessly for portions of everyone’s food. He’d clearly been taking lessons from Makkachin, because he cuddled against each one of them, whining pitifully. When the cat made his way over to pur at Yuri, he shot him a flat look and drew his food closer to himself. Pyocha shot back a glare.

“You should have stayed home,” he deadpanned. In lieu of his normal banter, Pyocha released a series of displeased meows, prodding him with his furry head. Yuri scowled in response, but broke off a piece of food for him to consume regardless.

Victor laughed, “You spoil him, you know?”

“Says the tool that takes his poodle to Puppy and Me spa days.”

“I told you that in confidence!”

Katsudon leaned in between then, hands placicating. “Now, now,” he soothed, “there’s not need to go at each other.”

“You’re such a mom,” Mari snorted.

“Bite me.”

Pyocha slinked onto his lap and settled in comfortably. He rolled his eyes and stroked him lightly, the cat purring contentedly. For supposedly being a fearsome guardian beast, Pyocha sure enjoyed his time as a simple cat. If he didn’t know better, Yuri would think he was enjoying his time as the second family pet. It made him wonder what would become of him when this whole ordeal was over. He was only released from the book because Yuri made the ass move of setting them loose. Would he return to The Clow when this was all over?

A pastel cupcake appeared in his line of sight and he jumped. He turned to find a smiling Victor, whose extended hand cradled the sugary baked good.

“Your first free day in a while, and you’re looking like that?” he whined. “You’re supposed to be relaxing!”

He snatched the cupcake with an exasperated sigh; Victor chuckled good-naturedly. His brother had a talent for knowing when he was down, the actual kind rather than his regular teen angst. He was grateful for the pick-me-up, of course, but couldn’t be sappy about it. He wasn’t soft and squishy like that. He chomped into the cake, humming in delight.

“Kiss my ass,” he growled, looking at the triumphant look on Victor’s face.

Yuri maneuvered Pyocha on his chest with his free hand, lowering himself to lay his head on his backpack. He sighed. It wasn’t a perfect day, more crowded and too far from his bed than he usually liked, but it was okay. He’d been all over the place for the past few months, his time consumed by school, club activities, and card capturing. It was nice to finally have a day to rest and laze around.

One by one, the rest of the group joined him and made themselves comfortable. Otabek leaned against the closest tree, playing sedately on his phone. Katsudon none too subtly rested his head on Victor’s shoulder, showing off his inexplicable talent of falling asleep anywhere and turning supposedly cool Russians into red, flustered messes. Mari slipped away for her afternoon cigarette, she would return fifteen minutes later to snap several photos of her brother drooling on his not-boyfriend. Phichit joined in on the fun, taking his own pictures with the professional camera he’d brought along for the fun.

It was nice.

 

* * *

 

“Tokyo Tower!”

“Yeah, yeah, just keep walking. You’re making a scene.”

“Let me live my life, Yurio.”

“No fighting please. We’re in public.”

The peace from earlier that day hadn’t lasted long, of course, not with Victor’s insistent demands on visiting the damned broadcasting tower. They packed up their belongings, stuffed Pyocha back in Victor’s bag (making sure to give him ample space to breathe), and made their way to abou the city. They spent hours combing shops, at least one member of their groups adding more bags to their hoard of things. When they finally reached Tokyo Tower at sunset, the area was crawling with tourists as expected. Loud, wriggly tourists.

Yuri directed a dry look in Otabek’s direction. “Please tell me we don’t have to wait any longer?”

“Phichit said he would pull some strings to get us to the front sooner,” he shrugged. On cue, the third year appeared, positively glowing. He gave them the go signal to move ahead to the elevators. All but Mari, who refused to go up eight hundred nineteen feet, followed.

“Don’t you just love it when your connections pull through?” he sighed, revelling in his success.

“I wouldn’t know, Phichit,” Katsudon said, “seeing as you’re my only connection.”

“Yuuri, I’m hurt,” he tutted, wagging an admonishing finger his way, “I’ve pulled through for you a bunch of times. Just last week, I gave you your monthly collection of Vic-”

“ _No, shut up!_ ”

Yuri groaned, yanking Otabek forward and quickening their pace. If luck was on his side, then they’d be able to get on a separate elevator. He refused to tolerate blatant thirst for sixteen floors. Luck wasn’t on his side, however, because as they drew close to the elevator, the ground rocked beneath them.

 

##  **XLV.**

Yuri remembered rolling his eyes at every earthquake drill he’d ever participated in over the years. While he knew that they were a very real threat, living in Japan, he had never felt anything stronger than a few short moments of trembling. This shaking, the kind that made his vision blur and the ground crumble around them, wasn’t anything he’d ever felt before. A particularly strong tremor knocked him to his knees, and he heard Victor calling out to him some way away.

Otabek pulled him up, sword drawn and face serious. “You feel it?”

“A card, yeah,” he nodded. It was a wonder that Yuri missed the familiar sensation of a Clow Card in his first weeks on the job. It’s aura was so distinct and pressing that he could feel it from miles away. Unfortunately for him, the damn cards never gave him time to prepare when they actually showed up.

The ground shook harder, small cracks forming around them. He screamed as the earth around him unlevelled, like some invisible force was forming small hills and trenches. Pyocha made use of the distraction to escape, speeding towards them urgently with Mari at his heels.

“Yuri, this is Earthy,” he gasped, “You have to hurry before this gets any worse!”

“But,” he began, looking about frantically. People screamed, scattering for a safe place to brace against the trembling. It seemed the card was concentrating all its efforts on trapping them in the epicenter. He saw the rest of their group close by, Victor holding both Katsudon and Phichit steady. He knew keeping magic a secret was nothing compared to keeping everyone safe, but he was wary of releasing his staff in front of so many people. Something in him said he shouldn’t.

Cursing, Mari plucked a small charm out of her coat. The little bell glowed in her hand before transforming into the familiar bronze bell. She beckoned Otabek closer. “I’ll take care of the people. You, sleep spell on the lovebirds.”

Otabek did as instructed, taking a piece of paper from his pocket and muttering a short incantation. The effect was instantaneous, both Victor and Katsudon going limp and Phichit barely managing to cushion their fall. Mari raised the bell high above her, violet ribbons trailing against the fingers of her other hand. She waved it in slow, wide arcs, making it ring. It echoed loudly, making people cease their frantic movements.

“Go,” she commanded, and people followed. They walked away in droves, perfectly calm and seemingly unaware of the chaos around them. A handful of minutes later, only the seven of them remained. She hissed, and Yuri noticed the bell fading momentarily before solidifying again.

“Yuri, now!”

He snapped up at the sound of Pyocha’s sharp command. He unsealed his staff just in time for Earthy to take action. He called on Jump just in time to leap away as a pillar of earth grew from under him. Otabek hadn’t been quite so lucky and was forced to hold on as he rose high into the air. He looked around for Mari, worried she’d been attacked as well, but he found her running to where his brother and friends were.

Where a circle of earth around them remained untouched.

“Yuri!”

He barely dodged another attack, a thinner beam of rock aimed for the small of his back, scratching both of his palms in the process. The stinging was nothing compared to the damage he would have suffered had he gotten hit. He summoned Fly, grateful he didn’t have to fight from the ground. He sped away, confident that whatever was protecting the others would last until the card was caught. From his place in the sky, he saw the extent of the damage the card caused.

The ground crumbled several hundred feet around them. Posts bent and collapsed, and even the structurally sound buildings were beginning to wear down. How terrifying would this be, he wondered, if people were lining the streets. This wasn’t a card he could seal with fancy tricks. No, he had to attack it head on.

“Watery!” he called, commanding the siren-like water avatar to slice through the rock. It worked for all of ten seconds before the earth regrew from the stumps. The earth trembled again, pillars rising higher to reach him. He tsked, but quickly summoned Firey. The taller beam of rock were engulfed in flames, but it did nothing to stop its attacks.

Maybe both cards?

Pyocha hissed, “It’s not going to work. Earthy is both more powerful and more aggressive than Firey. None of the elemental cards, even used together are going to work. Not with the card being as temperamental as it is now.”

He cursed, “A load of help that is! How are we supposed to--  _fuck, Pyocha!_ ” In his distraction, he failed to notice a serpentine dragon made of earth careening toward them. It struck Pyocha’s small body, and sent the cat falling to the ground. Yuri lunged downward, one arm outstretched to catch him.

“I’m sorry,” he said, repeating the words like a panicked mantra. Pyocha responded with a slow smile, thankfully conscious but limp in his hold.

Yuri flew back upwards, away from the ground. He headed back to the tower, hoping to leave the injured cat to Otabek and the others, and noticed something peculiar on the way. Among the bent poles, crumbling walls, and broken streets, the trees stayed perfectly intact. Not one of them had collapsed despite the shaking.

“Wood!” he yelled, and the tree nymph appeared for the first time since that afternoon in the study. Vines and branches extended from her body, wrapping securely around every pillar of earth around them. They grasped the dragon-like creature that attacked Pyocha and had followed him since then. Wood clung tighter with each struggle, until the dragon was left immobilized.

Yuri sealed the card, keeping his left arm secure around Pyocha as he leapt off his staff. A careful gust of wind caught his fall, and he spotted Otabek raising his sword below. He watched as the dangerous rock melted away and returned everything back to the way it had been. Like nothing happened at all. The card swooped into his staff hand, the image of a stately woman with a resemblance to Windy adorning the front. It was only when he landed safely on the flat ground, Otabek and Phichit running toward him, that Yuri realized.

He caught all the Clow Cards.

His joy was short-lived, however, because he felt a tugging on his left arm, and Pyocha was taken from his hold.

* * *

 

Yuri watched as Clow’s magic circle appeared on the ground below Pyocha. With a final smile, he disappeared behind his white wings, the appendages having elongated and grown. They enclosed him in a glowing, feathery cocoon, stilling momentarily before exploding in a blinding light.

Yuri shielded his eyes from the glare, shutting them tightly. He only opened them again at the unfamiliar rumble of a deep chuckle.

“Pyocha?”

Before him, regal and proud, was the Guardian Beast Agape. On all fours, the cougar-like beast was only a head shorter than Yuri, but the white wings protruding from his back made him appear several feet taller. Gleaming silver armour, composed of a jewel-encrusted chest plate and helmet, rested on the cream and black fur the cat possessed.

Pyocha grinned, fangs peeking out from his muzzle. “Impressive, huh?”

Yuri stared into slitted, golden eyes, and responded. “I knew Puma Tiger Scorpion was a better name!”

The beast slumped, visibly twitching at Yuri’s blase response to his gloating. “Seriously?”

Yuri raised a brow, “Did you think I’d grovel at your feet or something?”

“I was hoping you would, what with your obsession with cats,” he pouted. “And here I thought this would convince you to use my actual name.”

“When it’s cooler than Puma Tiger Scorpion, I’ll consider it.”

Pyocha rolled his eyes, exasperated and admitting defeat. He shook his head, chuckling lowly, “I brought this on myself, so I can’t really complain. I should’ve expected this after all the time we spent together.”

Yuri was perplexed by the finality in his tone, but before he could ask, Pyocha smiled. “Congratulations, Yuri,” he said, eyes brimming with pride. “You’ve caught all the Clow Cards.”

Phichit chose that moment to scream at the top of his lungs and ruin the moment.

“What the  _fuck?!_ ” he yelled, backpedalling away. He saw Pyocha taking on an aggressive stance and Otabek unsheathing his sword off to the side. Mari had no other visible reaction than slowly blinking her wide eyes. All four of them scanned their surroundings, searching aimlessly for whatever it was that set the brunet off. The prolonged yelling eventually died down, Phichit eventually running out of breath. He slumped forward, hands clutching his knees for support and heaving.

When air was circulating through him again, he snapped his head up, staring at Yuri with an almost manic look. “I didn’t get to record any of that,” he whined. “And I never will now that you caught that last one!”

As one, their battle-ready postures melted into ones of exasperation. Mari in particular looked especially harried by the outburst, and quickly lit a cigarette. Yuri’s gaze moved to the bench where both Victor and Katsudon lay, still unconscious and oblivious of the world. It was a wonder the  yelling didn’t wake them, magic or no.

He turned and met eyes with Phichit, the older boy suddenly standing inches away from him. He yelped, his attempt at scurying away aborted by the hands firmly grasping his. The look on the older boy’s face was a familiar one, and he gulped.

“You still have to write your name on that, don’t you?” he asked. “Let me get that on video, at least. For posterity.”

“Why are you so invested in my life?” he sighed.

Phichit ignored him. “Good thing I brought a costume this time. After the last two disasters, I thought to come prepared,” he said, releasing Yuri from his hold and rifling through his large bag, “I didn’t waste all that time sketching this for you not to wear it. If the card didn’t appear now, I would’ve gotten you in it somehow.”

He turned to Otabek, “You brought yours, yeah?”

The stoic boy nodded.

“Good, then we can do this with all the bells and whistles.”

 

* * *

 

A quick wardrobe change in a bush later found Yuri donning a feathery, sparkly, spandex outfit. Of everything Phichit had made him wear, this was the most ridiculous by far. Not even the joker wet suit from the Watery capture could measure up. He glared at the amused look coloring Phichit’s features.

“I’ve been meaning to put you in this for a while,” he smiled, circling him with his camera aloft. “When I found out Agape meant something along the lines of unconditional love, the outfit practically designed itself! I didn’t think it would work at first, but you don’t look half-bad.”

“I feel like a bird,” he fluffed the feathers covering his shoulders, scowling all the while.

Phichit shot him an unimpressed look, “I was going for angel, but close. Otabek, you done yet?”

Rustling from the tree branches above them were their only warning before Otabek appeared in a shower of leaves. Dressed in the same outfit he wore during the Thunder capture, the sheath of his sword strapped behind him once more, he threw them a thumbs up in affirmative. Phichit’s eyes sparkled.

“Awesome, then we can get started! I’ve had this choreographed for weeks!”

How Phichit had time to choreograph a fifteen-minute magical exhibition in last stretch of high school, between university entrance exams and invading everyone’s privacy, was beyond him. But he did, and it was pretty impressive. Each movement and wave of magic power was carefully planned, showing an amazing performance even on paper. The only drawback to the routine was the need to practice before he took the shot.

“Oh, but I have to make a few changes,” he said, hand cupping his chin thoughtfully, “I didn’t factor in Pyocha’s transformation. Thank goodness he came with his own coordinating costume, I would’ve had to scramble to get him something decent. Pyocha, could you… ah, Pyocha?”

The winged beast didn’t respond, and Yuri realized that he hadn’t said a word since Phichit had them change. He sat off to the side, morose, focusing on someone’s movements. They followed his gaze to find Mari laying Katsudon against a faraway tree, having hauled him from the concrete bench. She lifted her head, having felt their eyes on her, and Yuri noted her grave expression.

“Just preparing,” she said, by way of explanation. He supposed it would be a good idea to move the unknowing dead weights from the splatter zone, maybe get Otabek to keep them asleep. It would be hell to have to explain all this to them should they wake mid-exhibition.

“You can’t start without writing your name on that last card, you know,” Mari said. Yuri was struck with the realization that out of everyone there, the only person who knew less than him about the Clow Cards was Phichit. And by the serious looks spread across three faces, Mari wasn’t referring to the exhibition when she spoke.

Taking a pen from Phichit’s ready hand, he scrawled his name on the bottom, just below the card’s name. All was still for a moment, then both Pyocha and Mari broke the silence.

“I hope you’re prepared for the Final Judgement.”

A sharp gasp was the only warning he got before the ground around him shined. One by one, the card flew out of his pocket, flying madly around him in streaks of red and gold. This, however, wasn’t the cause of their distress. It was Victor’s unconscious form hovering over the concrete bench, Clow’s magic circle appearing beneath him.

 

##  **XLVI.**

While he’d been living with Victor for five years now, it was only one afternoon, two weeks before they would move their entire lives to Japan, that Yuri considered Victor his brother.

Yuri sulked the middle of a circle of upturned boxes, all emptied of their contents and scattered around his bare room. He howled, thumping his fists against the hardwood with righteous fury coursing through his veins. He hated this; he didn’t want to move to Japan. Yakov was doing this to ruin his life!

His door swung open a fraction, and he scowled at the trespasser. His expression softened a fraction when he saw just who it was at the door. At two years old and almost to his chest, Makkachin hardly qualified as a puppy anymore, but Victor never stopped calling her one. She quirked her head at him for a moment, analyzing him with her large eyes, before padding over and buried her head in his lap. Yuri was strictly a cat person, but Makkachin was tolerable.

“You’re the least stupid person here, you know,” he said, ruffling her fur gently. She rumbled comfortably against his leg. “Yakov and Victor can go suck eggs.”

“Woah, language Yuri! You don’t want Yakov hearing you say that.”

He groaned. What was the point of his handcrafted Do Not Enter sign, complete with a doodle of an angry tiger, if everyone just kept barging in? Victor sauntered in, paying no heed to the demonic scowl Yuri shot in his direction.

“I don’t care what the old man thinks,” he said, low but unrepentant. “He deserves it.”

Victor chuckled, setting himself on the floor on the side not occupied by his dog. He stroked her back for a while, plunging them into a comfortable silence only broken by the occasional snuffle from Makkachin. It was a while later before Victor spoke again.

“I wasn’t happy when he told us at first either, you know,” he said, “but I think it’ll be good for us. He doesn’t look like it, but I can tell Yakov’s excited to coach his skaters in Tomoeda.”

Yuri grunted, “He’s just following Lilia to Japan like some lovesick idiot!”

Yakov and LIlia Baranovskaya divorced before Yuri even knew who they were. Nonetheless, by the time he came to live with the man and his son, the two rekindled their rocky relationship and established themselves as amicable exes. Five years later, Yakov was taking off to Japan just weeks after Lilia got on her plane.

That got a laugh out of the older boy, “I’m sure it’s more than that, Yuri. People don’t just pack up their entire lives and move to another country on impulse.”

He shot him a dry look, “You would.”

“I highly doubt it,” he shook his head, dismissing their momentary distraction. “I’m sure he’s been thinking about moving for a long time. Georgi and little Mila seem fine with coming along with us, some of his other skaters too. I don’t really see the problem with leaving.”

“That’s ‘cause you’re not leaving anything behind!” Victor stared at him, eyes wide while Yuri finally allowed himself to let his feelings out. “None of you are leaving your families behind, but I am! It’s bad enough you took me here, away from Moscow where Grandpa is. Now you have to go and take me to another country.”

“Yuri…”

“ _No!_ ” he screeched. “I don’t wanna leave! I know Grandpa’s…” he sniffed. “Grandpa’s gone, but I don’t wanna leave him here by himself. Who’s gonna visit him once a week? Who’s gonna trim the hedges and junk so his grave’s all clean. How’s he gonna know how I’m doing if I’m not there to tell him.”

He rambled on, voice rising and quickening, eventually punctuated by sobs. Victor kept silent all the while, gathering Yuri’s heaving, weepy form against him. Makkachin crawled over his legs and into his lap. Her little paws came up to rest on his chest, licking his tears away. They stayed like that until every word flowed out and his sobbing quietly into hiccups. Victor loosened his embrace to wipe at his eyes with the sleeve of his pastel cardigan.

“You wanna know a secret?” he whispered, bringing a finger up to rest against his upturned lips. When Yuri nodded, he said, “I can see ghosts.”

Yuri glared. “This isn’t the time for bad movie impressions.”

He shot him an affronted look. “I should be insulted you think I’d do that, but I won't be because you’re a sad boy right now. I really can see them, Yuri, all the time. I know there’s no way to prove it to you, but I do, and I know that Nikolai comes by to see you a lot no matter where you are.”

Victor wasn’t known for cruel pranks like this. Even if he did tease him on occasion, he wouldn’t say this to trick him.

“Being in Japan won’t stop him from coming to see you, I’m sure of it. And here,” he stood, reaching into his only tidy bag. He took out the framed photo he’d carefully tucked between several layers of his softed clothing, and handed it to him. “I read somewhere that they have little altars in Japan where you put pictures of people who’ve passed. That way, they’re with you.”

Victor smiled. “We can do the same, I’m sure Yakov won’t mind. If Nikolai’s picture is up, then he’ll be able to find you no matter where you are!”

The way seventeen year old Victor looked at him then, blue eyes brighter than the sky, was one Yuri would never forget. It was a stark contrast from how the same eyes, now icy and gloating, looked down on him five years later.

 

* * *

 

Yuri gaped at the figure standing before them, at the visage of seventeen year old Victor clothed in black and mesh, dark wings tucked behind him like a feathery cape. Long silver hair, poised into a high ponytail and held in place with a floral hairpin, cascaded to the ground. His arms were crossed over a white sash decorated with glittering crystals. Glowing, blue eyes bore down on him, equal parts smug and critical. He raised a delicate hand and waved.

“Hi.”

Yuri was the first to regain his bearings. He advanced, eyes fiery, and screeched, “What the fuck, Victor?”

“Eros.”

Yuri balked, turning from Victor to Pyocha. “What?”

Pyocha raised his bowed head, expression contorted in a grimace and refusing to meet his eyes. “He’s the other guardian of the Clow Cards, Eros the Judge.”

“Eros...?” He repeated the name slowly, trying to absorb it all. The person standing there, looking every bit like a seventeen year old Victor, was Eros. This was who Light and Dark warned him of just a week before. Before he could set his thoughts straight, he found himself blurting. “Then what the fuck happened to Victor?”

Eros smirked. “You don’t get it yet, do you?” he flicked out with a graceful hand, ice blue eyes gleaming, “There never was a Victor, Yurio, only me taking on a human form to watch you.”

“Fuck you, Victor’s human! Yakov has enough baby photos to fill a shelf. He got hungry, and tired, and always took too long in the bathroom in the mornings,” the words spilled out, denial at their core, “He stayed up to study for his fucking double degree, and he mooned over Katsudon like he was the only other person in the world! He frustrated me to no end, and always made sure I was doing okay. He… he…”

“Wasn’t real,” Eros finished with a pitying smile, “I had to keep appearances up, didn’t I?”

It was only Pyocha’s interference that prevented him from charging. He leaped out from where he stood, standing between Yuri and his fellow guardian. Eros smiled in response.

He shot a quick glance at Eros before focusing on Yuri. He spoke, voice imploring. “Yuri, please listen. He’s telling the truth. Victor was Eros’ dormant form, like how mine was the cat.”

“ _So you knew?_ ” he screeched, “You knew all this time and didn’t tell me!”

He drew back, barely withholding a wince. He held his gaze for several, silent moments before sighing deeply. “I had my suspicions,” he admitted, low, “but I wasn’t sure until he transformed right in front of us. I’ve been feeling his presence close by since you captured Firey, but Victor wasn’t the only one around you with a strong affinity with the moon.”

“The moon?”

Otabek answered him, stepping forward and presenting his sword. Wrapped around the handle was a thin rope attached to a scarlet jewel, perfectly matching the one on Pyocha’s armor. “Of all the ways a mage can draw power, being affiliated with the celestial bodies is one of them. The Altin family is associated with the sun, and the Okukawa family, the moon. Part of what made Clow so powerful was that her magic was drawn from both. That said, the Guardians of the Clow are affiliated with the sun and moon, respectively.”

“The fuck does that have to do with anything?”

His mouth drew into a flat line, “Despite having powers that are essentially the polar opposite of Eros’s, neither Pyocha nor I could sense him properly. It was because all this time, the Okukawa family was interfering.”

“Katsuki, actually,” Mari quipped as she sat comfortably against te tree beside her still unconscious brother, “Clow’s only other relative was a cousin who married into the Katsukis. And we weren’t interfering, it’s just how our powers work.”

“We?"

“Yuuri’s a Katsuki too, and he has more power than I could ever dream of.” She looked wistfully down at his sleeping form and sighed, “It’s too bad he can’t use them to their full potential.”

Yuri clenched his fists, hoping it would be enough to stop their shaking. “Then  _both of you_ were in on this from the start? You knew who Eros was and just watched me fumble my way through the cards. Katsudon coming here to study, befriending Victor, and you arriving with that stupid bell. It was just you  _playing_ with me?”

She scoffed, having the gaul to look amused, “Don’t think yourself so important that we’d conspire against you. I happen to be here for a reason, and Yuuri actually came here to study. He has nothing to do with the Final Judgement, unless you think he’s casting a spell in his dreams or something.”

“That doesn’t change anythi-”

“Excuse me, but we have important business to deal with,” Eros sang, clapping sharply. “You can settle your feelings of betrayal with everyone you know another time. We have a judgement to begin. But first~” he grabbed Otabek by the arm and smirked. “It’s time for the Altin boy to prove his worth.”

 

##  **XLVII.**

On his seventh birthday, just before his formal training began, his mother told him he had a special duty to fulfill when he was older and hopefully far more adept at the magical arts. She said that he would one day have to prove he was worthy of his family name. Otabek always assumed it meant capturing the Clow Cards, but he was wrong. With the only object capable of sealing the cards in Yuri’s possession, he had no hope of obtaining Clow’s magic for himself.

He’d been at loss for the past few months, wondering just what he’d been training for all this time. He got the answer when Eros singled him out from the others.

The ground slipped out from under him in a swirl of color, and a few moments of dizziness later found him standing on a rooftop some distance away from Yuri and the others. With a thoughtful expression, his black wings spread above him, Eros landed delicately in front of him.

“How strange,” he said, “I would have assumed that Clow left your family something to warn you about me. But then again, neither side of herfamily liked each other much, so anything about me would have gone right to the Katsukis instead. You’re going into this as blind as Yurio then.”

Hearing the nickname used casually by the moon guardian sent a jolt through him. While his voice wasn’t as deep and far colder than Victor’s, the man in front of him was still Yuri’s brother.

Eros peered at him with curious eyes and brought a hand to cup his chin, contemplating. “Do you want to know why I brought you here, Otabek Altin?”

“To prove my worth.”

Eros raised a brow, “And do you know what that means?” He shook his head, slow and wary. “It means you have to defeat me.”

“You?”

“Yes, of course,” he chirped. He cocked his head curiously, silver eyes gleaming, “How else would you have claim over the cards?”

“But Yuri has the key.”

“Do you think Clow would just let Agape choose a candidate without contingencies? Why allow some nobody to be the cards’ new master when her descendants are alive and well? If you defeat me here, you receive the key when Yurio fails my judgement.”

His blatant dismissal of Yuri irked him. As if capturing all the cards on his own without any prior magical training meant nothing compared to Otabek’s distant relation to Clow Reed. Fists clenched, he reached for his sword. He took the weapon from his back, scabbard and all, and threw it to the ground.

“Fuck you,” he growled, “I’m not fighting you.”

Eros regarded him with a perplexed frown. “You’re going to let a chance like this slip away just like that? Didn’t you come here to be the new master in the first place?”

“I did,” he admitted, “but I know I’m not the rightful master, Yuri is. You don’t need to test me, because Yuri isn't going to fail your judgement.”

“How sweet,” Eros laughed, shaking his head indulgently, “Your confidence in him is heartwarming, really, but incredibly stupid on your part.”

“I don’t care, I’m not fighting you.”

He sighed, “Very well, Otabek Altin. I doubt there’s anything I can do to get through that stubborn head of yours. So I suppose you fail my test. Unfortunate, since I believe you would have done well as the new master.”

“No one would be better than Yuri.”

“Spare me,” he said with a swift eye roll. “I don’t have time for the warm and fuzzies.”

Eros slowly raised a hand, and Otabek felt a surge of power gathering under him. Without warning, a stream of vines shot out from the ground and bound his body in place. They encased his sword, pulling it farther away from reach. The guardian clasped his hands together then spread them out slowly, the left extending in front of him, and the right pulling backward. A bluish-silver arrow sizzled to life between them.

“You said you wouldn’t fight,” he sang, “but I never said I wouldn’t. Don’t worry, my attacks won’t kill you; they won’t even draw blood. It will hurt though, a lot.”

He released the arrow with a flourish. It streaked through the air and hit him squarely on his right shoulder. Otabek screamed.

 

##  **XLVIII.**

Seeing Otabek being taken away caused Yuri’s blood to freeze in his veins. It was one thing to see some pompous ass replace his brother, but to see him manhandling his friend... He meant to lunge after them, but Pyocha’s huge body jumped in front of him. Yuri watched both Victor and Otabek disappear in a flash of black and silver.

“The hell?” he yelled, shoving the beast away roughly.

“Yuri, you can’t interfere. Stop, please!”

“Fuck you, I don’t want to hear it,” he growled. When Pyocha stood his ground, Yuri vaulted over him and summoned Fly, knowing it would be much easier to search from the air. Pyocha jumped in his way again before he could kick off.

“Yuri,” he begged, “listen-”

“No, I’ve had enough! I spent all this time listening to you and look where it got me. I’m looking for them, and you’re not going to stop me.”

Pyocha opened his mouth to argue, but Phichit beat him to the punch. He strode forward, face uncharacteristically serious, and yanked the winged staff right out from under him. Before Yuri could curse him out, he spoke.

“ _Listen,_ ” he began, eyes blazing. “Out of everyone here, you only know more about this whole mess than two other people. And one of them is unconscious. I get it, you’re angry and frustrated. Anyone would be in your place, but you can’t just ignore Pyocha and go off to who knows where!” He raised the staff, back to its original size, and none too gently bopped Yuri on the crown of his head. “Sit there and fume all you want, but you are going to listen before you do anything more reckless, you got me?”

Chastised and scowling, Yuri mumbled his assent. Phichit gestured for anyone to pick the conversation up. Both winged panther and shrine maiden shared a meaningful look before Mari stepped forward to crouch by the blond. She cast him a gentle look, like the ones she gave Katsudon behind his back, before speaking.

“Okay, so here’s everything I know. The Clow Cards and the Guardians are the epitome of Clow’s magic, so destroying them before she died was out of the question. So the only choice she had was to pass them on to another master.” She paused, thinking of the most efficient way to summarize all this. “Both sides of the family were more than happy for the chance, of course, but she didn’t think either of them were cut out for it.”

Yuri snorted. “So the book?”

“It was her solution,” she explained. “She let her creations pass from one hand to another until the rightful person came around. And Agape selected you that day the cards were scattered,”

He glanced at the guardian warily, “But he only chose me because I was the only one there when it happened.”

“That isn’t true, Yuri,” Pyocha said. “The fact you managed to open the book in the first place meant you were more than worthy to inherit the cards.”

“But I didn’t have magic ‘til then, and it was the weird humming and glowing that got me noticing the book in the first place.”

“I’ve done the same several times over the century, and only you have managed to notice it happening. Yuri, your magical potential is nothing like I’ve ever seen before. It’s stronger than the Katsuki heir’s.”

Yuri turned to Mari, who shook her head. “Not me, I can only cast the basics with what I have. Agape means Yuuri. And the little idiot would be doing more than snoozing right now if he had a right to the cards.” At his perplexed frown, she said, “Yuuri didn’t get magical training like Otabek did, neither of us did. By not bothering to develop his powers, he essentially gave up his claim on the cards. Not like Altin.”

Yuri kicked himself for forgetting about his friend in the heat of the moment. “Fuck, Otabek! Where did Eros take him? Is this part of the stupid judgement you talked about before?”

“Yes,” Mari said, “but a different kind. Otabek wasn’t a candidate selected by Agape, but Clow wanted a contingency in case Eros didn’t deem you worthy. To give us all the safeguards we need from a disaster happening, Clow gave the heirs of both families a chance to prove their worth. If Otabek passes, then the key goes to him should you fail.”

He tsked. “Why bother with a candidate if one of Clow’s descendants can take over?”

“She didn’t expect the candidate to fail, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Pyocha offered. “She just wanted to ensure the cards would have a new master the first time around. You do remember what I told you what would happen if the cards aren’t rounded up, right?”

That conversation seemed like a lifetime ago, but Yuri did recall the gist of it. “Something about the apocalypse?”

“Not quite so dramatic, but yes,” he responded dryly.

Yuri meant to press further, but their conversation ended abruptly. A pained, eerily echoing cry was their only warning before Otabek materialized before them in the same spot he’d gone missing. Bruised and battered, he barely managed to catch himself on his elbows to prevent him from face planting on the hard concrete.

Yuri rushed forward and grasped his shoulders to help support him. Otabek wasn’t bleeding, but his torn clothing and exhaustion proved he’d been through an ordeal. From the corner of his eye, he registered the others gathering around them. Phichit took out a first aid kit from his bag and attempted to ease his pain somewhat. Both Mari and Pyocha looked on in concern.

“He’s strong,” Otabek hissed, teeth clenched. “Merciless too.”

It was only then that he noticed his sword was missing from his back. Instead, it lay beside him, tucked into its sheath and looking relatively untouched.

Yuri seethed, “You moron! Did you even fight him?” Otabek shook his head, looking stupidly unrepentant. “Then what, you just stood there while he beat the living shit out of you?”

He chuckled darkly, “He didn’t give me much of a choice.”

“Oh, I did. It’s your fault for choosing to give up before it began~” Eros announced his reappearance with a resounding clap. Standing on a nearby lamp post, he observed them amusedly. “That’s one loyal friend you have there, Yurio. He said he believed in you, and everything.”

“ _Don’t call me that!_ ” he spat, venom lacing his tone.

He pouted in response, “So mean, Yurio. You didn’t have this much of problem with it when I said it before.”

“You’re not Victor, you asshat. You don’t get to call me that!”

“But I am! You still haven’t accepted that?”

“You’re not Victor!”

While the person standing there looked and sounded like Victor, Yuri still refused to admit that this was the same blundering idiot he spent most of his life with. Victor wouldn’t hurt or mock them when they were down. He was blunt to a fault and didn’t read some people too well, but he wasn’t cruel.

Eros sighed and shrugged helplessly, “If I can’t convince you, I don’t know what will.” He hopped off the pole and gracefully descended toward them. Fixing ice blue eyes on his injured friend, he said, “My judgement of the Altin heir is over, and Otabek, you’ve failed spectacularly.”

He moved before Yuri could react to his statement. Phichit had just enough time to return his staff to him before he was roughly grabbed by the shoulder. Eros’s eyes gleamed, “I guess this means it’s finally time to get started, Yu-ri-o. I hope you’re ready~”

 

* * *

 

  
He stood atop the observation booth, clad in the Agape costume and holding his staff squarely to his chest. It was the same view he’d been seeing often in his dreams, the tops of trees and buildings below and the moon stark against the starless night sky, much larger than he’d ever seen before. The sight would have been beautiful if not for man clad in black and mesh, black wings spread wide. A gust of wind blew past him, ruffling the feathers on his shoulder roughly.

“Before me stands the one chosen by the Guardian Agape, Yuri Plisetsky. Is this boy worthy to be the new master?” Eros announced, voice echoing around them. His staff responded to the sound, the red jewels on its head shining brightly. Yuri gripped it tighter and ignoring the subtle shaking of his own hands. From the pits of his pockets, the cards trembled in anticipation. Eros smirked at the sight, “I am The Judge Eros, and the Final Judgement begins now.”

The glowing subsided quickly, leaving them to their poor mockery of a wild west standoff. When Yuri made no move to attack, Eros perked in understanding.

“Ah, right! I completely forgot, no one bothered telling you about this,” he tapped bottom lip with a finger, his mouth morphing into Victor’s heart-shaped smile. “Well, all you need to do to pass my judgement is to defeat me with the cards in your possession.” His eyes flashed and he extended a hand forward, and a large, blue crystal forming above it. “I’m sure you won’t have too much trouble if you really are worthy.”

A subtle twitch of a finger was his only warning, before Eros launched a flurry of crystals in his direction. He barely managed to leap out of the way, and saw the projectiles embedded into hard metal. He rolled out of the way as another burst shot at him. He summoned Windy to create enough of a distraction to escape, but the moon guardian redirected the attack with a noncommittal wave. Yuri’s heart stopped as the force nearly sent him off the tower.

“You should know that Windy is among the cards under my influence,” he said, “Shall I tell you the others ones before you try to attack me again so recklessly?”

Yuri grit his teeth menacingly, and commanded  _Firey_ to char Eros’s stupid face. The attack hit, but didn’t do much damage to its target. He raised his arms, mining a bow and arrow, and Yuri cursed.

They fell into a pattern, Yuri barely dodging Eros’s powerful attacks and retaliating with rushed ones of his own. Neither were more than scratched, but with Yuri restricted to the roof of the observation building and Eros having wide range of movement, the blond was all but trapped. Using  _Fly_ was out of the question since he wouldn’t use any other magic with his staff occupied; he doubted his opponent would wait a few minutes to let him use the elevator. There was always  _Jump_ , but he wasn’t sure if its power would last until he landed safely on the ground.

Eros made the decision for him, however, by setting another volley of crystals in his direction. Against his better judgement, Yuri rolled forward off the observation deck and called  _Jump_ to his aid. His feet hit hard, sloping metal, and he pinwheeled his arms about in hopes to regain his balance. When that didn’t work, he ran down, body leaning backward and waiting for a flat enough surface to launch himself off properly. Eros oohed in the distance.

“Smart,” he chirped, “but did you really think you could fight like that?”

Yuri fortunately had enough leverage to take Fly out of his pocket and leap off the tower. He landed painfully on the elongated staff and grew dizzy from the frantic spinning to gain his bearings. He managed to dodge a speeding blue arrow along the way, and descended at top speed. He ensured to looked behind him regularly to avoid the guardian’s insistent attacks. He wouldn’t be able to fight back until he was safe on the ground. Eros quickened his descent with an arrow to the wing.

 

* * *

 

 

Phichit stuck the last of his bandages just above Otabek’s eye. While Pyocha assured them his injuries only looked much worse than they actually were, he would have his family doctor look the younger boy over when this was all over. He gave Otabek a final pat, which was returned with a grateful nod. With nothing left to distract them, they focused their attention to the top of the tower, where Yuri was fighting Eros.

Eros, not Victor. Victor never really existed, apparently.

His eyes roamed from the flashing overhead from above and to the far off tree where his best friend still lay asleep. None of the commotion had woken Yuuri, not even the cold, foreboding feeling that flooded his own veins when Eros first appeared. If Phichit was being honest, he was thankful that he hadn’t. How would Yuuri react to the man, who supposedly loved him to the moon and back, being some guardian beast all this time? Had all that interaction between them been real, or had it been Eros manipulating them like he said?

Otabek walked over to where Mari and Pyocha stood and asked, “I assumed Victor had powers because he was related to Yuri, but that isn’t the case, is it?”

Pyocha shook his head, “As far as I know, their father adopted them both when they were young. Victor was a baby, according to Yuri.”

“How could that have been the case if he wasn’t human to begin with?”

It was Mari who answered. “That would be Clow’s doing. From some of my family’s books, I gathered that Eros was kind of an apathetic ass in her care.”

At her statement, Pyocha allowed his serious visage to snort, “To anyone but Clow, yeah. He was like the brother I never wanted.”

“I figured that much,” she said, “Clow did too, and that’s why Clow set him to be released from her book when the time was right, in order to gain a semblance of humanity before the new candidate was chosen. And what better way for that than to be raised by humans?”

Phichit thought it was all too convenient, for Victor to have been adopted by the same childless man who had been Nikolai Plisetsky’s close friend. One who eventually moved himself to Japan, to the house  _The Clow_ just happened to have landed itself in. No, this had all been planned meticulously, carried out by generations of people who knew more than they let on.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Mari said, snapping him out of his reverie. The others jumped and started at him with wide eyes, likely having forgotten he was there at all. The woman continued, undeterred. “And yes, everything that’s happened so far was planned to an extent. Yakov was meant to find Victor and take Yurio in. Their move to Japan, our move from Hasetsu, even Otabek coming here was all supposed to happen. But that doesn’t mean everyone’s relationships were forced either.”

He blinked, and she went on. “Look, Victor and Yuuri didn’t have to get into a relationship - don’t look at me like that, you know better than anyone they’re all but married. And even with the pull of lunar magic, Yurio didn’t have to like Victor either. Who cares if the two of them grew up together, he would have hated him if he wanted to. The fact is, Clow succeeded in making Eros understand humans, but not the way she thought he would.”

Otabek look on, understand dawning on his features. “A split personality?”

“Sort of, yeah,” she nodded. “Somewhere down the road, Victor stopped being a front and developed into a real person. Separate from Eros, but the same nonetheless.”

“You’re… I’m a little lost here, but okay. So, Eros was messing with us when he said Victor wasn’t real?”

“Yes,” Pyocha said, “From what I’ve observed, Victor is a completely separate entity from Eros himself. He has his own suspicions, but he wasn’t aware of Eros’s existence, let alone that they’re one and the same.”

“Then why didn’t I feel him?” Otabek asked. “I know my magic is aligned with the sun, but I should have noticed his dormant energy.”

“That’s our fault, actually.” Mari explained, “You haven’t been around Victor without Yuuri there too, have you?”

“You’ve been shielding him?” Otabek concluded, eyes narrowed menacingly. He advanced toward her, hand drawing closer to the charm that was his sword’s dormant form. Mari stopped him with a flourish of her bell.

“Now’s not the time to pick up your friend’s temper, Altin.” She drawled, lowering her… weapon slowly, answered his previous question. “He didn’t do it intentionally. Yuuri’s powers manifest in strange ways like that, lending them to others rather than being able to use them properly himself.”

“Lending?” Phichit echoed. He was relieved to note that he wasn’t the only one perplexed by the idea, if Otabek’s narrowed eyes were any indication.

Mari nodded. “With our bloodline being diluted by several lines of non-magical blood, the powers we’ve inherited aren’t anything special. Compared to what the Altins or Yuri can do, we essentially have party tricks. We make up for it by channeling what little we have into ancient artifacts like the Moon Bell.” On cue, the object glowed to life. “But my magic isn’t enough to keep this thing running, so I’ve been borrowing Yuuri’s.”

Otabek reeled, “That’s why he hasn’t woken yet! You exhausted him.”

She snorted, “Did you think your spell was that strong, Altin?”

“That’s not the point!” Phichit yelled. “Mari, what the hell?”

She cast him a thoughtful look, turning her gaze from him to her brother and back. She sighed deepling after a long moment, “I don’t expect you to understand right away, but what I’m doing isn’t as cruel as you think it is. We’ve got a job to do, and I need Yuuri’s powers for it.”

“And just what does that job entail?”

“You should see in about five minutes,” she replied. Her nonchalant look didn’t change as she glanced upward briefly. However, Phichit noticed her paling considerably at what she saw. “Now, we should probably get out of the way.”

“What?”

“ _Get out of the way!_ ” Pyocha yelled, hurling himself into the conversation for the first time in a while. His wings bat frantically along his hurried bounds. He nudged Phichit backward with his large muzzle, taking Mari and Otabek along by hooking his paws around their arms. They collapsed in a painful heap, everyone splayed about awkwardly. It was nothing, however, compared to what kind of injuries they would have sustained.

Yuri crashed in the area they just vacated, the force forming a small crater in his wake. The large wings on his staff fluttered weakly before  _The Fly_ returned to its card form. The blonde groaned against the pain. Pyocha reminded them ruefully that they couldn’t step forward to help him.

 

* * *

 

 

The landing hurt like a bitch, there wasn’t a single part of him that wasn’t throbbing in pain. He subconsciously knew there weren’t any serious injuries, no broken bones or internal bleeding, but it didn’t ache any less.

Eros landed delicately behind him, looking down on him impassively, “It seems Agape chose wrong, after all. You clearly haven’t got what it takes.”

“No fair, you piece of shit,” he hissed through gritted teeth.

The guardian raised an amused brow at the outburst. “Who said anything about playing fair?”

“You’re taking this too far, Eros,” Pyocha growled, “You’re supposed to be testing him, not beating him half to death.”

Eros jutted his lower lip out in a petulant pout, “But I am testing him! Do you have any better ideas than this? I’d love to hear them.” The beast kept silent, knowing there was no other alternative, but he bared his fangs at the smug man regardless; Eros smiled in return. “How unfortunate, Yurio, you couldn’t prevent the disaster from happening. But that’s alright, it’s not like you’ll remember.”

The string of mental curses he’d been throwing at Eros halted then. “What do you mean?”

He shook his head, chortling, “Agape clearly has to work on his communication skills; you don’t really know anything, do you? Oh, but I suppose you wouldn’t have accepted the job if he told you any more than he did.”

“Told me what, dammit! I’m sick of you shits being all cryptic with me. It’s not mysterious; it’s annoying!”

Eros tutted, looking at him like some michevious child. “So impatient, I don’t know how my other self could stand you. Fine, you want an answer? Then let me ask you this, did Agape ever tell you kind of disaster would happen if you fail to capture all the cards?” No, no he hadn’t., but the mere fact a disaster would occur should the worst happen was enough incentive to work with him. “Then let me tell you what will happen: you forget.”

“What?”

“That’s all it is; you forget about the Cards and everything related to them, you and everyone who ever made contact with them. Compared to what you must have thought it would be, that doesn’t sound too bad, does it?”

It didn’t, actually, but then Yuri realized the gravity of his words, and by the look on everyone else’s faces - Phichit, Otabek, and Mari - they did too. Eros said everyone who came in contact with magic, that meant more than just the people gathered here. It extended to Guang Hong, who  _Sword_ used. His other friends, who encountered  _Illusion_ and  _Erase_. The entire school with  _Shadow_ , all of Tokyo with  _Earthy_. Generations of Katsukis and Altins, who dedicated their lives to studying magic. Katsudon who was fucking in love with Victor. Even Yakov, who raised two orphaned, magical boys.

They would forget everything they knew because Yuri was too weak.

 

##  **XLIX.**

“Pyocha,” Phichit whispered, his face ashen and eyes misty, “Is this why you always told him not to tell anyone?”

He chuckled humorlessly, “A fat load of help that did, huh?”

“Why didn’t you tell him?” he asked, tired, hopeless,  _defeated._

He answered him lowly, shame flooding his veins. “I don’t know.”

To his right, Otabek looked on in disdain. “He had a right to know.”

“I know.  _I know_.”

He knew it had been impulsive to choose a boy with no magical training to be his candidate, but it had always felt right. If anything, Pyocha had been the one who failed at his task, not Yuri. If he had just told him from the beginning, then perhaps they could have been more prepared for this. But he didn’t, and now he saw despair bleed into Yuri’s face at the revelation, and there was no one to blame but himself.

He turned from their gazes to the Katsuki girl, who returned his gaze with understanding. With a slow shake of the head, she gestured for them all to concentrate on the scene before them, on Yuri speaking with Eros. The sorrow in his blond’s face vanished, replaced instead by the familiar fire in his eyes. He stood, shoving the moon guardian roughly with the length of his staff.

“If you think I’m just gonna stand here and let that shit happen, you have another thing coming,” he snarled, teeth bared. He turned his green eyes in Pyocha’s direction and yelled, “You and I are gonna have a long talk after this, you shit! You better not keep hiding things from me!”

The relief in Pyocha’s reply was evident, “I swear. You don’t have to sneak my dessert for the next week as punishment.”

“You bet I won’t, asswipe. You got me in deep shit here, but don’t think I’m backing down.  _I’m gonna make this shit happen!_ ”

The cards, chose then to react to his voice. Each one leapt from his pockets to encircle him in their presence. His scratches disappeared, bruises faded, and tears on his clothing mended themselves. Phichit and Otabek cheered along, and Mari nodded in satisfaction.

Eros looked on bemusedly, but shrugged it off. “Very well, I suppose we can continue.”

 Yuri stood, backing away slowly to create some distance between them, all the while contemplating his next move. He only had one shot, with them so unevenly matched, he needed to pull out all the cards in his hand to win.

Eros hadn’t spared him another moment, and launched a wave of crystals and arrows straight for him. Yuri countered what he could, and dodged the rest. He made a mental note to get some agility training from Otabek when this was all over, then laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. He supposed it was the combination of adrenaline and his resolve letting him think so clearly,; he certainly needed it more than ever.

 _Windy_ wouldn’t work, that much he knew. He doubted  _Watery_ would at a time like this either, considering  _Firey_ and  _Earthy_ were under Pyocha’s control. Another earthquake wouldn’t be much help, considering Eros had fucking wings and Yuri didn’t. While  _Dark_ and  _Light_ were pretty strong, he never got the chance to see what they could do, and this wasn’t the time to find out. Outright attacks wouldn’t work, he was sure either  _Sword or Shield_ would be under Eros’s control too. He’d have to gamble on the one other card, the most versatile one.

“Wood!” the nymph appeared in a whirlwind of leaves and vines, face serious and ready for battle. She soared, transforming into a plethora of thorns and vines as it did just earlier that evening. The smirk on Ero’s face made it clear that he’d made a crucial error.

“Oh Yurio, you still haven’t learned? Wood is under my control. How else would it have subdued  _Earthy_ so well?”

Like the attack he’d done prior with Windy, the attack rebounded off of Eros and redirected to its caster. Restricting vines and sharp thorns enveloped his body, completely restricting his movement. With a swift wave of a hand, Yuri was raised high into the air, the rushing air making it difficult to hear his friends’ panicked cries from the ground below. Yuri struggled against his restraints, trying to summon any card he was sure aligned with the sun as his disposal, but the vines wrapped themselves around his right arm, enveloping the sealing wand securely.

“Two minutes” Eros sang, cupping his chin with a cold hand. “Much longer than I assumed you’d last in the second round, to be honest. You definitely have some fight in you, but it’s nowhere near enough to beat me.” Yuri turned his head away, aiming his most heated glare at the judge; Eros smirked once more.

“This really is it, Yurio. There’s nothing else you can do.”

Wood clutched on tighter, slowly squeezing the air out of his lungs. It was getting more difficult to breathe, and at this rate, he really would fail. But the feeling paled in comparison to devastation of not being good enough to save the people most important to him. He couldn’t have that, he just couldn't.

Just when he thought it was all over, the deus ex machina that was Mari Katsuki interrupted them. She stepped forward, pulling both Otabek and Pyocha by their respective collars. As petite as she was, Pyocha’s large wings and the others’ attempts at holding her back did nothing to hinder her.

“He can’t do anything right now, but I can,” she said, voice strong, echoing with strength and power. Similar to the time with Maze, she raised her bell and rapped it against a thick vine. It rang loudly, causing the foliage to tremble before crumbling completely. Yuri fell, cushioned from a painful fall by his quick use of Fly, and the others running to catch him.

She smirked, “I’ve been waiting way too long for this.”

 

* * *

 

 

Like Yuuri, Mari spent some time away from home to advance her studies. Where her brother left to earn a degree, she dedicated most to her time to studying the artifact Clow left specifically for the Final Judgement. The Moon Bell was a special object, kept secret from even the guardians themselves, and would be used at the right time. Its powers varied depending on what it was needed for; it broke unbreakable walls, compelled people to comply with a single command, shield her from immediate danger, and now, it would fulfill its final task before disappearing forever.

Eros looked down on her in frustration. “What part of him getting no outside help do you not understand?”

“I’m not helping him,” she countered, resolute, “I’m putting you on even playing field.”

With a professional baseball pitcher wind up, she slammed the bell against the nearest vine. Like the  _Maze_ card from before, it made no resistance, crumbling like eroded rock.Yuri’s cards cushioned his fall by surrounding him in their magical aura. They also whipped Eros some distance away. When Yuri landed safely, aided by Pyocha and Otabek’s quick reflexes, Mari approached him, presenting the Moon Bell with both hands.

“This is a gift for you, Yurio,” she told him. “One from Clow Reed to be given to you when you most needed it. Long ago, Clow Reed foresaw that a hotheaded jerk with a soft heart would one day be selected as the new heir. But for it to happen, he needed a little boost. You’re right when you said it would be unfair to fight Eros when he had complete control over the cards in his dominion. So this is here to change that.” She stood beside him, shoulder to shoulder, and raised the bell high into the sky. “Come on, raise that thing and repeat after me.”

Yuri followed, beckoning his key to accept the power the bell would give it. As he spoke the familiar words that transformed his key into the Sealing Wand, another gust of wind passed through them, this one more visible and lined with magical energy.

“You know what to do,” she smirked. And he did.

“Release!”

The Moon Bell faded completely, becoming one with the visible, moving aura surrounding them. The glowing wind enveloped the staff; the rod’s head melted into the breeze before morphing into a new shape. The bird head was gone, replaced by a five-pointed star bordered by a pink circle. Small white wings flanked the sides, fluttering for a moment before settling into place.

“Go get ‘em, Cardcaptor Yurio!”

 

* * *

 

 

Yuri didn’t hesitate, taking his most reliable card so far out of his pocket and summoning it for an attack. The star spun rapidly, glowing brightly before  _Windy_ appeared once more. Eros gazed at him in pity, “I already told you that card’s useless against me.”  

Except when tried to overturn the candidate’s command,  _Windy_ advanced with renewed fervor and encircled him in a turbulent bubble. It resisted every struggle and short-ranged attack, effectively trapping him in Yuri’s newfound power.

Yuri watched him struggle, seeing Eros’s movement grow more frantic as each attack vanished before it got the chance to touch the walls around him. He pounded and yelled until his fists became scratched and marred, his voice hoarse. Yuri almost felt sorry for him.

The guardian grit his teeth, falling to on knee in defeat. “What was the point in having me judge the candidate if Clow would interfere at the last second!” There were no tears in his eyes, but the anguish was there all the same.

“Eros, “ he whispered, casting him a pitying look. Despite his regular, brazen attitude, he knew not to hit people when they were down. The words that came out of his mouth were the last he’d ever consider saying, especially at a crucial moment like this, but they came out all the same.

“This was never about me being worthy, was it?” he asked, “You just didn’t want to replace Clow, did you?” The guardian’s mourning expression was more than sufficient an answer. He walked towards him, steps light and slow. When he finally reached the the proximity to make direct eye contact, the wind disappeared without a trace, his first Clow Card returning dutifully to his side.

“I’m not Clow, Eros,” he told him, tone gentle. “I’m a high school first year, who knows next to nothing about magic. I’m a lazy fuck with a hot temper, and I sometimes have the aura of a reckless thug. But if there's anything I know, it’s that people need a place to come home to.”

The wand trembled slightly in his hold, but he tried to steady his nerves with a deep breath. He never broke contact with misty, silver eyes. “And while I’m not some all-powerful sorcerer, I understand enough now to see that Clow thought you were important enough to deserve a home when she had to leave you.” He inhaled deeply again, attempting to let go of his embarrassment with a long exhale. “She may be gone, but you - all of you - have a home with me.”

Yuri rested the staff in both his hands, presenting it carefully to the thoughtful guardian.

“If you won’t accept me as your master, then think of me like you always have. Your annoying, grouchy little brother. Don’t be a guardian with me, be Yakov’s pain in the ass son, be Katsudon’s not-boyfriend, be my annoying brother. Stay with us, Victor.”

They stood like that for what seemed like an eternity. Yuri held his breath, observing Eros’ flickering expression. His arms were getting tired, and his smile was straining with each passing second. But at long last Eros stood, and Yuri gasped at the heart-shaped smile that graced his opponent’s features.

“You drive a hard bargain, Yurio,” the sound of his voice wistful, warm, familiar. “But you hit the right spot, I can feel your stupid brother screaming to accept.”

Yuri smirked, “He’s an ass like that. If you don’t accept now, he’ll whine in your head forever, I bet.”

Eros laughed, the hearty sound ringing pleasantly around them. He placed a hand gently against his forehead and doubled over in amusement. “Bested by a kid’s fluffy words, I must have gone soft with my time living like a human.”

Pyoha spoke, stepping forward. “He did it with me too, you know? It can’t really be helped.”

The moon guardian sighed, rolling his eyes exasperatedly, “Ugh, these stupid human feelings, getting punched the way they did.” He sighed, fixing glimmering eyes at the blond. “It seems I had to chance to begin with. Oh well! The Judgement is over. I, the Judge Eros, deem Yuri Plisetsky worthy of inheriting The Clow. From this moment on, you are our new master.”

 

* * *

 

 

Eros wasted no time in returning to his dormant form when he finished all the pomp and circumstance that accepting a new master entailed. That being a needlessly dramatic proclamation followed by their surroundings returning to how they were before he and Otabek were thoroughly pounded into the dirt. They had all been so caught up in the moment that they forgot that  _Victor knew nothing about this_ and proceeded to scramble frantically to hide all evidence of what happened that evening.

Of course, with both Yuri and Otabek in costume, Pyocha momentarily forgetting he could turn back into a cat, and Katsudon still very much unconscious, there was very little they could actually cover up. Until Victor appeared from the feathery cocoon, opened his eyes, and surprised literally no one by focusing all his attention on his not-boyfriend. Whatever alibi any of them pulled out of their asses was thrown out the window the second Victor raced past them to fuss over Katsudon.

The crowning jewel to Yuri’s train of disbelief was the fact Katsudon chose that exact moment to awaken like some horrible reenactment of  _Sleeping Beauty_. Phichit, the ever-loyal friend he was, hovered along with him. He comforted himself with the fact that the older boy was gauging the situation and keeping the two distracted, and ignored the clearly open camera app on his phone.

He would have screamed at the absurdity of it all if not for the feline-shaped projectile that launched itself at the back of his head. Frustration forgotten, he pried Pyocha off his back and shifted the quivering cat to his chest.

“You did it, Yuri, you did it,” he cried, his face buried in the crook of his neck. His words were punctuated by little, watery hiccups. “I knew you could. I’m sorry for all this. I swear, I’ll tell you everything I know from now on. I won’t steal your snacks or stow away in your backpack ever again. I’ll stay when you tell me to. I just-”

“Hey,” he whispered, halting Pyocha’s rambling as he stroked behind furry ears, “I get it. Stop.”

“I’m really happy it’s you.”

He chuckled, “You come into my house, eat all my food, and fuck up my peaceful life. You can’t expect me to let you go that easy.”

Pyocha nuzzled against his cheek, “You’re just a big softie, aren’t you?”

“Take that back, or I’ll seal you back in the stupid book.”

“I suggest starting with basic spellwork before you try to do that. The cards are neata and all, but you’re useless without them,” Otabek said, having moved to stand beside him. Like Yuri, his clothing and body were free from the damage Eros had previously inflicted on them. Yuri would have to put magic reset button-ing on the top of his list of things to learn eventually, right below getting your ridiculous guardians to listen to you. “Plus, I don’t think you can even do that.”

Mari flanked him on his other side, with a matching smirk. “Nope, he can’t. You’re stuck with them forever,  _both_ of them.”

“Ugh, to think I’d been panicking over Eros all this time, and he was _right there_ ,” rolling his eyes at the sight of Victor’s flustered smothering. In this panic, his brother tripped over a root and landed in a graceless heap. Phichit and Katsudon burst out laughing. “I can't believe this is the same guy who tried to shoot me out of the sky a few minutes ago.”

“He’s a separate entity, technically,” Mari told him. All the joy of Eros without the concerning, trigger-happy tendencies and dependency on Clow Reed.”

“Yeah, ‘cause he’s obsessed with your brother instead,” he rolled his eyes at the scene before them, noting Katsudon’s grogginess and overall dazed expression. He turned to Mari, “Is it a coincidence that we woke up right when Eros turned back?”

She shook her head in response, “They’re tied somehow, and it’s an unusually strong bond.”

“If you say it’s love, I will actually barf.”

She snorted, “No, idiot. Magic.”

Pyocha, acting on his promise to tell him everything he knew, explained for her. “Remember when he talked about how the Katsukis were aligned with the moon?Well, similar powers attract each other. With Yuuri’s latent abilities and Eros’s strength, it was only natural they’d be the way they are.”

Yuri raised a curious brow, “Then why aren’t you and Otabek all over each other like that? Or is there something you’re not telling me?”

Mari’s howling laughter enhanced the scandalized looks on the other two’s faces Yuri shamelessly joined in

“That’s not-! Why would you-!  _Yuri_!”

“Sorry, but you said-”

“I didn't mean it like that; I was talking about their bond! They’re disgustingly in love like that on their own.”

He shrugged, mock innocence painting his face, “You could’ve said it like that, but you had to make me think otherwise~”

“You’re doing this on purpose!”

“Yup, and you’re stuck with me.  _Forever_.”

 

##  **L.**

He was shaken awake by a cheerful cry, the combined weight of two animals, and his ass of an older brother leaping onto his bed. Victor’s unfairly longer limbs and larger physique pinned him securely to the mattress, preventing him from any chance of escape.

“Get off you me, you dick! What the fuck?” he screeched between desperate wiggles. Between Pyocha and Makkachin, Victor laughed and made no move to follow. Instead, he flopped onto him, lying comfortably on his back.

“Yuri, I’m hurt!” he gasped, resting the back of one hand on his billboard forehead. “I took the time to make sure you’re up bright and early for your last day as a first year, and you treat me this way? You’ve slain me, I’m dead!”

“Good, maybe now I can sleep in like I wanted to!”

“All the cruelty! What did I ever do it deserve this?” Jutting his bottom lip out just so, Victor lifted himself off him with a huff. “I thought you wanted to be up for Phichit’s graduation.”

He shot him a dry look. “You make it sound like we aren’t required to attend the damn thing in the first place.” His eyes roamed from his brother’s petulant pout to his phone, the screen flashing to life with a poke of the power button. He groaned at the time, flopping sloppily back onto the mattress. “The fucking ceremony doesn’t even start ‘til this afternoon.”

Victor perked, “We’re going to Yuuri’s for a breakfast party!”

“Ugh! Haven’t we had enough stupid celebrations? You were out most of the night  the last time!”

“All the more reason to hold a party, since we missed all the fun!” he chirped. He paused for a moment, smile melting into another pout. “I still can’t believe you didn’t wake us up to watch. you. You’ve been working on this project with Phichit all year and I haven’t seen a thing!”

“Not my fault you conked out after dinner.”

“Meanie.”

As far as Victor and Katsudon knew, their trip to Tokyo had gone off without a hitch. Phichit explained his and Otabek’s clothing as costumes for his farewell project for the Photography Club, a reason the two were more than willing to accept. Yuri wasn't the only one Phichit subjected to odd clothing, after all. Their memories of the evening were foggy at best, so it had been pretty easy to say their fell asleep at some point.

“Anyway!” VIctor’s voice snapped him out of this thoughts. “Go get ready, we’re meeting Phichit and Otabek in a bit. We have to pick up Mari’s gift.”

 _Ah right,_ the celebration wasn’t just for Phichit’’s graduation. Mari would be leaving for Hasetsu at the end of the week, and this would be her going-away party too.

 

* * *

 

 

Yuuri lifted a cardboard box onto the stack, the last of several they'd been packing all week. He never realized how much Mari filled the tiny apartment until they had to take it away. With the Final Judgement over and her training in Tomoeda completed, she was due for a new assignment any day and chose to spend her break at home in their parent’s inn.

He watched his sister remove the long piece of tape they’d playfully stuck to the walls and floor to mark their territory. He twitched at the visible line of dust on his side of the line.

Mari smirked, “I don’t get why you bother keeping this place. I know the university pays for it, but it’ll just be glorified storage locker when I’m gone. Best to move out with me and give the apartment to someone who’ll actually use it.”

“I happen to live here, Mari!”

She snorted, “Half your clothes aren't your closet, they’re in _Victor’s_.”

“I sleep over a lot, what of it?”

“You’re on their chore rotation list,” she deadpanned.

He shot her an affronted look, “How else am I supposed to repay them for letting me stay over so much?”

“By moving in, marrying Victor, and giving Yakov Feltsman another pain the neck for a son. I’m sure he’ll adore your eventual hoard of moon-magic children and poodle army. I know mom and dad will.”

He threw his arms up in surrender and escaped to the kitchen. “I’m done with this conversation. I’m checking on the rice.”

He spent most the week preparing the spread for Phichit and Mari’s party. Mrs. Chulanont had been kind to share her recipes for Phichit’s favorites, and his mom had been exceedingly patient with him with their lessons over Skype. He gazed at his work with a smile. He was sure there was enough to feed the six of them (eight, including Makkachin and Pyocha), with some leftovers to take with them for lunch. With all the trouble he’d caused, it was the least he could do.

Mari had been right when she told the others that his powers hadn’t developed like Yurio’s or Otabek’s did, but that had been his choice. Rather than fight to claim a power that didn’t belong to him, he chose to aid from the sidelines and observe. Of course, the latter hadn’t been a conscious action.

Their books called it dream-seeing, the term on the same level of ridiculousness as Clow’s insistence on adding “ _the_ ” in every card name, and it was a rare talent among mages affiliated with the moon. It was mostly associated with vague images of future events, but Yuuri’s focused solely on Yurio and his journey from Cardcaptor to master.

He’d seen everything before it happened, with the exception of the Final Judgment. For that, he’d been “awake” despite the sleep spell Otabek cast on them. It had been odd to say the least, but he was assured it would be the last time it would occur. Things would be different with Yurio as the new master of the cards.

His phone chimed thrice in succession, breaking him out of his reverie. He asked Mari to help him bring the food out while he checked his messages.

The first was a photo from Phichit, his friend in his usual corner spot in group shots. Victor stood behind him, holding Makkachin up to wave at the camera. The sweet girl had her tongue lolling out in mid-pant. Otabek stood on the far side, flashing his usual thumbs up and genial nod combination; Pyocha peeked out cheekily from the bag slung across his left shoulder. Yurio stood sullenly in the center, styled exactly like Mari’s favorite singer, Takao. He sincerely hoped that Phichit hadn’t told him whose idea it was to dress Yurio like that; Yuuri didn’t stand a chance against the wrath of pissed Yurio and his Clow Cards.

The second was a short text from Victor, telling him that they would be arriving soon, his usual string of hearts followed along with this favorite heart-mouthed kaomoji. Yuuri replied with a quick “ _See you soon_ ” and his own signature blue heart.

Yuuri blinked confusedly at the third message: a curious pattern of peach and eggplant emoji followed by a kiss. Before he could type out a response, his phone rang, nearly causing him to drop it in shock.

“It was Chris!” the caller yelled as greeting, and Yuuri laughed.

“Okay, that I believe. Here I was thinking I’d have to lecture you on controlling your thirst.”

“ _Excuse y_ ou, between the two of us, I’m not the one who needs a cold glass of water. How is Victor doing, by the way?”

Yuuri narrowed his eyes, “I’m not having his conversation with you. Now, do you have anything else to say besides embarrassing me and blaming Chris for your failure to lock your phone? Because I’ve got food to set out.”

“What do you mean _you_?” Mari called, “I’ve been doing all the work while you stand there frowning into space.”

“Ah, is that Mari?  _Hi Mari_!” Yuuri’s ear rang at the volume. “Tell her to keep my books safe on her way back. I can’t write them again.”

He chuckled, “Will do. Say hi to Chris and Vicchan for me. See you soon, Yuuko!”

Yuuri ended the call just in time to catch the cheery sound of their doorbell. He sighed. While Yurio earned his role as the new master of the Clow, his trial was far from over.

 

* * *

 

 

It was one of those dreams again, Yuri realized, the magical kind that usually meant something. Eros explained it was one of his unique talents as a mage, dream-seeing or some other stupid name like that. It was some special gift that let him see into the future or some shit when he slept. They were distinct enough for Yuri to know the difference from regular weird ass dreams. For one, the normal ones didn’t have elaborately cloaked women chugging bottles of alcohol.

God, he did the whole Final Judgement thing already. Couldn’t he catch a break?

“Nope~” Clow drawled, throwing the empty bottle behind her. It disappeared in a shower of glitter before it could hit the ground. She tsked, “Ugh, can’t even get a buzz.”

Neither Pyocha nor Eros told him much about their previous master, but he knew instinctively that the person before him was Clow Reed in all her glory. Lean and slender, she carried herself with an air of grace even as she slumped on a plush, tall-backed chair. Long brown hair matched sharp eyes, and pink lips curled upward at the sight of him. She stood, her blue and gold cloak billowing behind her as she advanced.

She raised a delicate hand and pinched his cheek. Clow cooed at his scandalized yell, “You’re certainly much cuter than I imagined. A little too moody for my taste, but you are a teenager, after all.”

Yuri shook his head against her grip, releasing his staff with a flourish.

She looked on indulgently, “I see you like my little gift. Isn’t it adorable?”

“It’s  _pink_ ,” Yuri sneered. “You couldn’t have at least given me something more my style?”

Clow laughed, “Hey, function over style, little master. That new wand of yours will make you stronger than you’ve ever imagined. Unlike the original key, that one channels the power of the stars.”

He sneered, “And how is that any different?”

She smiled, a gentle, wistful thing. “You’ll find that stars, no matter how small the light, shine in the darkest night. Now that you’ve inherited my cards, it’s time you start relying on your own skills, don’t you think?” She drew closer and cupped his cheeks tenderly. “I’m gonna be around for a little longer, kid. I believe in you, but you better keep that guard up.”

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to thank my bb!discord fam, my artsists, and my beta for getting be through this monster of a fic. You're all fantastic blobs, who deserve all the good things in life. Thanks especially to my talented artists - Rin and Whim, my SEAsian fam - Cat and Bee, the blobbiest of friends - Ren and Mer, and my wonderful beta - Anya for giving me endless streams of encouragements and were patient with me and my writing.
> 
> Next, please check out the other fics in the BBoI collection. Each collab is amazing and I guarantee you won’t be disapointed by any of them.
> 
> Finally, thank you for getting this far. I really hoped you enjoyed my fic as much I did writing it! I’d love to hear what you thought about it. Kudos and comments are always appreciated. Come yell at me on tumblr ✧*｡٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و✧*｡


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